The Jaintia Kingdom, occupying the hills of what is now Meghalaya and parts of Assam, maintained its own coinage tradition well into the late 18th century despite increasing pressure from both the Ahom Kingdom to the north and the expanding British East India Company. This rupee was struck under Raja Bijay Narayan, who ruled during a period when Jaintia retained nominal independence but was increasingly drawn into tributary and diplomatic arrangements with colonial powers. The kingdom would be annexed by the British in 1835, making issues like this among the final generations of indigenous coinage from the region.
The Jaintia Kingdom, occupying the hills of what is now Meghalaya and parts of Assam, maintained its own coinage tradition well into the late 18th century despite increasing pressure from both the Ahom Kingdom to the north and the expanding British East India Company. This rupee was struck under Raja Bijay Narayan, who ruled during a period when Jaintia retained nominal independence but was increasingly drawn into tributary and diplomatic arrangements with colonial powers. The kingdom would be annexed by the British in 1835, making issues like this among the final generations of indigenous coinage from the region.