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300 Ngultrums João Cabral
| Issuer | Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan |
|---|---|
| Year | 1994 |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a richly detailed scenic composition commemorating the Portuguese Jesuit explorer João Cabral (1599–1669). In the right foreground, a bearded standing figure dressed in robes and holding a long staff — representing Cabral — dominates the design. To the left middle ground, a companion figure leads a laden yak across rocky terrain, with a multi-tiered Bhutanese dzong and mountain peaks rendered in low relief in the background. The curved legend 'JOAO CABRAL 1599–1669' arcs across the upper field, and the denomination '300 NGULTRUM' appears in a rectangular tablet at the lower centre of the field. |
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| Edge | Lettered: EXPLORERS |
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| Additional information |
João Cabral was a Portuguese Jesuit priest who, in 1628, became one of the first Europeans to enter Bhutan — arriving not by design but after being turned away from Tibet. He and his companion Estêvão Cacella spent several months at the court of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the lama-ruler then consolidating Bhutan as a distinct political and religious entity. Cacella died in Bhutan; Cabral eventually reached Tibet on a second attempt.
This coin belongs to Bhutan's series of silver commemoratives issued through the early 1990s honoring explorers with historical connections to the region — a program largely aimed at the collector market rather than circulation.