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Nazrana Paisa - Vikramajit Mahendra Under Shah Alam II
| Issuer | Orchha, Princely state of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1797 |
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| Value | 1 Paisa (1⁄64) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a multi-line Urdu/Persian legend in Nastaliq script arranged in horizontal registers across the field, recording the name and titles of the local ruler Vikramajit Mahendra of Orchha, together with the name of the state and the regnal year. The inscription is struck in the same bold, somewhat irregular hammered style as the obverse, consistent with nazrana presentation coinage of the Bundelkhand princely states. No border, pellets, or ornamental devices are present. The date corresponds to Hijri year 1212 (1797 CE), Regnal Year 39 of Shah Alam II. |
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| Mintage | 1212 (1797) - 1798, RY 39 |
| Additional information |
Orchha's nazrana issues were presentation coins — not struck for circulation but offered as formal gifts during ceremonial occasions, typically at durbars or in recognition of political submission to a superior authority. By 1797, Orchha was navigating the collapsing fiction of Mughal suzerainty under Shah Alam II, whose authority had been effectively reduced to a cipher following his blinding by Ghulam Qadir in 1788. Invoking his regnal name on a local copper nazrana was as much a political gesture as a religious one — affirming legitimacy through a ruler who had almost none left to give.