Khanderao Gaekwad II ruled Baroda for less than a decade before dying in 1870, leaving no heir and triggering a succession crisis that would eventually draw direct British intervention. The coins struck under his name reflect a princely state still exercising meaningful monetary autonomy — Baroda maintained its own mint and currency system well into the late 19th century, a privilege increasingly curtailed across other native states during the same period.
Khanderao Gaekwad II ruled Baroda for less than a decade before dying in 1870, leaving no heir and triggering a succession crisis that would eventually draw direct British intervention. The coins struck under his name reflect a princely state still exercising meaningful monetary autonomy — Baroda maintained its own mint and currency system well into the late 19th century, a privilege increasingly curtailed across other native states during the same period.