Catalog
1 Rupee - Nara Narayan
| Issuer | Cooch-Behar, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1555 |
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| Value | 1 Rupee |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse field is entirely occupied by a multi-line inscription in Bengali script, set in bold raised letters arranged in horizontal registers across the flan. The legend refers to the regional designation of the Koch kingdom, identifying the issuing authority and territory. The inscription is enclosed within a plain inner circle surrounded by a raised pellet border that follows the irregular contour of the hammered flan. The script displays the characteristic curved headstrokes and ligatures of 16th-century Bengali epigraphy. The overall execution is consistent with the hand-struck coinage tradition of northeastern India. |
| Reverse script | Bengali |
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| Additional information |
Nara Narayan ruled Cooch Behar from roughly 1555 to 1587, presiding over what is generally considered the kingdom's political and cultural peak. His reign saw the Koch dynasty extend its influence across much of the Brahmaputra valley, and coinage issued under his name carried real transactional weight across a region where Mughal authority had not yet fully penetrated.
KM#34.1 is the more commonly encountered die variety of his rupee issues, distinguished from 34.2 in the catalog literature, though both are scarce in any condition by the standards of 16th-century Indian silver.