Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah was crowned in 1956 following the death of his father Tribhuvan, who had himself only recently reasserted royal authority after overthrowing the century-long Rana oligarchy in 1951. This coronation issue was struck to mark that transition of power — a monarchy reclaiming relevance in a country that had only just reopened to the outside world after decades of deliberate isolation.
The multiple KM suffixes reflect documented die varieties across the issue, likely the result of Nepal's reliance on the Indian government mint at Calcutta for much of its coinage production during this period.
Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah was crowned in 1956 following the death of his father Tribhuvan, who had himself only recently reasserted royal authority after overthrowing the century-long Rana oligarchy in 1951. This coronation issue was struck to mark that transition of power — a monarchy reclaiming relevance in a country that had only just reopened to the outside world after decades of deliberate isolation.
The multiple KM suffixes reflect documented die varieties across the issue, likely the result of Nepal's reliance on the Indian government mint at Calcutta for much of its coinage production during this period.