The earliest

coin A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

minted in today's territory of

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

was in

Shakya Shakya (Pali, Pāḷi: ; sa, शाक्य, translit=Śākya) was an ancient eastern Sub-Himalayan Range, sub-Himalayan ethnicity and clan of north-eastern region of the Indian subcontinent, whose existence is attested during the Iron Age i ...

Mahajanapada The Mahājanapadas ( sa, great realm, from ''maha'', "great", and ''janapada'' "foothold of a people") were sixteen Realm, kingdoms or oligarchy, oligarchic republics that existed in ancient India from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE during ...

, along the India–Nepal border at around 500 BCE. Shakya coins were an example of a coin invented in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

which continued to be used in Nepal alongside

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

for over 1500 years.

Coins from Indian Subcontinent

Post-Maha Janapadas period (c. BCE 600–?)

In the

Maurya Empire The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...

, punch marks were widely used in the southern region of Nepal and also imported from hills and the

Kathmandu valley The Kathmandu Valley ( ne, काठमाडौं उपत्यका; also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley ( ne, नेपाः उपत्यका, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः)), ...

. Mauryan coins were punch-marked with the royal standard to ascertain their authenticity.

Kushan Empire (c. CE 30–375)

Another major coinage found in Nepal was of the

Kushan Empire The Kushan Empire ( grc, Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν; xbc, Κυϸανο, ; sa, कुषाण वंश; Brahmi: , '; BHS: ; xpr, 𐭊𐭅𐭔𐭍 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓, ; zh, 貴霜 ) was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, i ...

, a syncretic empire, formed by

Yuezhi The Yuezhi (;) were an ancient people first described in Chinese histories as nomadic pastoralists living in an arid grassland area in the western part of the modern Chinese province of Gansu, during the 1st millennium BC. After a major defeat ...

in the

Bactria Bactria (; Bactrian: , ), or Bactriana, was an ancient region in Central Asia in Amu Darya's middle stream, stretching north of the Hindu Kush, west of the Pamirs and south of the Gissar range, covering the northern part of Afghanistan, southwe ...

n territories in the early 1st century CE. It spread to encompass much of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and the northern parts of the

at least as far Nepal. These coins were widely used in the Southern region of Nepal but rarely used in the hills and Kathmandu valley region. The coins depict the image of the Kushan kings and other

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

and

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

deities. Some scholars believed that Kushan King Kanishka's ascension to the throne in 78 CE marked the beginning of the Saka calendar era which was widely used later in Nepal for dating coins until 1600. However, this date is not currently regarded as the historical date of Kanishka's accession. Kanishka is estimated to have ascended the throne in AD 127 by Falk (2001).

Classical period of Nepal (c. CE 576–750)

Lichhavi Kingdom

The

Licchavi Kingdom Licchavi (also ''Lichchhavi'', ''Lichavi'') was a kingdom which existed in the Kathmandu Valley in modern-day Nepal from approximately 400 to 750 CE. The Licchavi clan originated from Vaishali, and conquered Kathmandu Valley. The Lichchhavis ...

of Nepal established its root in the

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

Valley from c. CE 576 to 750. This marked the beginning of the Classical period of Nepal. Lichhavi Coins were the first coins widely used in the

Kathmandu Valley The Kathmandu Valley ( ne, काठमाडौं उपत्यका; also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley ( ne, नेपाः उपत्यका, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः)), ...

and its surrounding hills. Minted in copper, these coins had legends in

Gupta script The Gupta script (sometimes referred to as Gupta Brahmi script or Late Brahmi script)Sharma, Ram. '' 'Brahmi Script' ''. Delhi: BR Publishing Corp, 2002 was used for writing Sanskrit and is associated with the Gupta Empire of the Indian subcon ...

s, suggesting a significant cultural influence from other major kingdoms of the Classical Period. These coins are religious in nature and few have Kings' names depicted on them. The known denominations of these coins are Pana (Tamika), Purana, Pana-Purana, Matrika out of which some were struck in cast blank flans and some were struck from cut piece. Some of the known coins are Mananka (c. CE 464-505 or 557), Amshuvermam (c. CE 557-605), Vaisravana (c. CE 621), Pashupati (c. CE 641-680), Gunanka (c. CE 625-641) and Jishnu Gupta (c. CE 622-633). The only known conversion rate is 1 Karshapana = 16 Pana.

Medieval period (c. CE 750–1540)

The coinage in the Medieval period of Nepal is largely unknown due to the lack of references and contemporary records about it. Scholars believe that the most likely explanation is that

Tirhut Mithila (), also known as Tirhut, Tirabhukti and Mithilanchal is a geographical and cultural region of the Indian subcontinent bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the foothill ...

and Muslim invaders from India caused the coinage system of Nepal to fail, resulting in a return to either using lumps of unstamped copper or gold dust and Islamic coins imported from India. Some inscriptions suggest that earlier Lichhavi coins (namely Pana, Purana, and Pana-Purana) were continued until the introduction of a new system by King Sivadeva/Simhadeva (c. CE 1098–1126). The only known coins of this period struck by different minor rulers are Gold Sivaka, Silver Dam and later Nava-Dam-Sivaka and a copper coin with legends Sri deva Yadasya.

Malla Dynasty (c. CE 1540–1768)

A new coinage system developed in Nepal, especially in the Kathmandu valley and surrounding hills during the

Malla (Nepal) The Malla dynasty ( ne, मल्ल वंश:) was the ruling dynasty of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal from 1201 to 1779. They were a Raghuvanshi dynasty who were seen as the descendants of the Licchavi dynasty. Later Malla kings also tr ...

of Nepal. These coins were struck by the sons of Yakshya Malla (c. CE 1482) in separate kingdoms of Kathmandu, Bhadgaon, Patan and by Kings of Dolakha and Gorkha. The usual design on the coins, perhaps suggested by some of

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

's and

Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

's issues, consists of elaborate geometrically ornamented borders surrounding a central square or circle, with the legends in

Nāgarī script The Nāgarī script or Northern Nagari of Kashi is the ancestor of Devanagari, Nandinagari and other variants, and was first used to write Prakrit and Sanskrit. The term is sometimes used as a synonym for Devanagari script.Kathleen Kuiper (2010) ...

fitted into the spaces left in the design. On the obverse appear the king's name, titles, and date, and on the reverse various symbols, accompanied sometimes by a further title or a religious formula.

Tankas Standard

Tankas or Tanka were mostly debased silver coin struck in 10 g. weight with minor denominations of , , , Tanka Dam. These coins were based on the designs of

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

coins of the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).

, Bengal, and the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

, which were widely circulated in Nepal by then. Initially Struck by King Indra Simha (-1545) of Dolakha followed by King Mahendra Simha (1560–74) of Kathmandu and finally by all three Kings. Most of these coins had no names and date except the one struck by King of Patan Siddhi Narasimha in NS 759 (CE. 1639).

Mohar Standard

After a major reform in coinage, a new style of silver coins called

Mohar The Mohur is a gold coin that was formerly minted by several governments, including British India and some of the princely states which existed alongside it, the Mughal Empire, Kingdom of Nepal, and Persia (chiefly Afghanistan). It was usually ...

(Initially called Mhendramalli) were struck in Nepal with a reduced weight standard of 5.4 g. in silver. All three kingdoms of the Kathmandu valley along with the

Gorkha Kingdom Gorkha Kingdom ( ne, गोरखा राज्य) was a member of the Chaubisi rajya, a confederation of 24 states on the Indian subcontinent ruled by Khas people. In 1743 CE, the kingdom began a campaign of military expansion, annexing se ...

struck these coins with little modification until after the unification of Nepal by King

Prithvi Narayan Shah Maharajadhiraj Prithvi Narayan Shah (1723–1775) ( ne, श्री ५ बडामहाराजाधिराज पृथ्वीनारायण शाह देव) was the last ruler of the Gorkha Kingdom and first monarch of the ...

(1723–1775). These coins were struck in the new artistic design of Hindu-Buddhist

Yantra Yantra () (literally "machine, contraption") is a geometrical diagram, mainly from the Tantric traditions of the Indian religions. Yantras are used for the worship of deities in temples or at home; as an aid in meditation; used for the benefits ...

and were struck in the denominations of Mohar called Mohar Suki (Generally in the name of the Queen) and Mohar called Mohar Dam. They were struck with the date in

Nepal Sambat Nepal Sambat, also spelled as Nepala Sambata, (Nepal Bhasa: , Nepali: ) is the lunisolar calendar used by the Newari people of Nepal. The Calendar era began on 20 October 879 AD, with 1142 in Nepal Sambat corresponding to the year 2021–2022 ...

and with a date in which the issuing king was crowned rather than the date of issue.

Shah Dynasty (CE.1747–2008)

Prithvi Narayan Shah before the conquest of the Valley

Before the conquest of the Kathmandu Valley,

issued coins based on the existing Malla-Mohar system. The first coin to be issued in his name was in CE. 1749, after which he issued a few coins to mark special occasions and the

Unification of Nepal The Unification of Nepal, also known as Expansion of Gorkha Kingdom, officially began in 1743 AD (1799 BS) after King Prithvi Narayan Shah of Gorkha launched an aggressive annexation campaign seeking to broaden his own kingdom's border. After ...

. Two of the few innovative difference between Shah's coin and Malla coins are that the coins are struck with the date of the issue rather than the year of coronation, and change in the dating system from

Saka era The Shaka era (IAST: Śaka, Śāka) is a historical Hindu calendar era (year numbering), the epoch (its year zero) of which corresponds to Julian year 78. The era has been widely used in different regions of India as well as in SE Asia. Hist ...

. Along with the coins issued as a king of Gorkha, a few coins from Patan were also issued in Prithivi Narayan Shah and his wife Queen Narendra Rajya Laxmi Devi's name after he was unanimously selected as a King of Patan.

After the conquest of the Valley

After the conquest of Kathmandu Valley, King Prithivi Narayan Shah withdrew all the old Malla currency and in order to stop their circulation, devalued their exchange rate. Apart from the regular issue of Mohar, Suka, dam coins were struck in queen Narendra Lakshmi's name and a new coin double in value and weight of Mohar were struck equivalent to the

Indian Rupee The Indian rupee ( symbol: ₹; code: INR) is the official currency in the republic of India. The rupee is subdivided into 100 ''paise'' (singular: ''paisa''), though as of 2022, coins of denomination of 1 rupee are the lowest value in use wh ...

. Some gold coins were also struck in his reign but as Nisars for use in special ceremonies. Prithivi Narayan Shah's successors continued with his modifications in Malla currency and dating system and continued issuing similar silver and Nisar gold coins in their and their queens' names. In 1789 (Sak.1711) King

Rana Bahadur Shah Rana Bahadur Shah, King of Nepal ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज रण बहादुर शाह देव) (1775–1806) was the King of Nepal from 1777 to 1799. In 1777, he succeeded to the throne after the deat ...

reduced the diameter of Mohar and increased the production of smaller denominations and gold coins.

Regent Queen

Several Suki coins were issued by the Regent Queens of

Shah dynasty The Shah dynasty ( ne, शाह वंश), also known as the Shahs of Gorkha or the Royal House of Gorkha, was the ruling Chaubise Thakuri dynasty ; and the founder of Gorkha Kingdom from 1559 to 1768 and later the unified Kingdom of Nepal ...

due to a power shift in the court. In Sak.1722 Queen

Raj Rajeshwari Devi Raj Rajeshwari Devi ( ne, राज राजेश्वरी) (died 5 May 1806) was a queen consort and twice regent of Nepal. She was the Queen consort of Rana Bahadur Shah. She ruled as regent during the minority of her son Girvan Yuddha ...

senior wife of

issued her own suki currency as a regent of infant King

Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज गीर्वाणयुद्ध विक्रम शाह देव) (19 October 1797 – 20 November 1816), also called Girvanyuddha Bikrama Shah, was f ...

followed by her successor regent Suwarna Prabha Devi (Sak.1723). Followed by Raja Rajeshwari Devi again in Sak.1724 and Probably with different names (Amar Rajeshwari and Mahamaheshwari).

Copper coinage in Valley

In CE. 1865, the first copper coins were issued for the

in the denomination of Copper Paisa, Double Paisa and Dam with inscription in

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental syste ...

script.

System

Tanka standard

Tanka is a genre of classical Japanese poetry and one of the major genres of Japanese literature. Etymology Originally, in the time of the ''Man'yōshū'' (latter half of the eighth century AD), the term ''tanka'' was used to distinguish "short poem ...

* Tanka * Tanka = 4 Dam *1

Dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

= 4 Jawa

Silver Mohar system (after 1640)

*Double Rupee = 4

Rupee Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...

/Double Mohar = 2 Mohar *1 Mohar = 2 Suka *1 Suka = 6.25 Aana *1 Aana = 2 Adha-aana *1 Adha-aana = 2 paisa *1

Paisa Paisa (also transliterated as ''pice'', ''pesa'', ''poysha'', ''poisha'' and ''baisa'') is a monetary unit in several countries. The word is also a generalised idiom for money and wealth. In India, Nepal, and Pakistan, the ''Paisa'' currently equa ...

Mohar = 4 Dams *1 Dam = 4 Jawa

Copper standard

*1 Ganda or Ani/Aana = 2 Dyak or 2 Double

*1 Dyak or 1 Double Paisa = 2 Dhebua or 2 Paisa *1 Dhebua/Paisa = 4

(Copper)

Gold coin system

*Duitole Asarfi = 4

= 2 Tolas = 360

troy grain A grain is a unit of measurement of mass, and in the troy weight, avoirdupois, and apothecaries' systems, equal to exactly milligrams. It is nominally based upon the mass of a single ideal seed of a cereal. From the Bronze Age into the Renaissan ...

s *Bakla Asarfi = 2 Mohar = 1 Tola = 180 troy grains *Patla/Majhawala Asarfi = 1 Mohar = Tola = 90 troy grains *Suka Asarfi = Mohar= Tola = 45 troy grains *Suki = Mohar= Tola = 22.5 troy grains *Ani = Mohar = Tola = 2.93 troy grains *Adha-Ani = Mohar = Tola = 5.87 troy grains *Pal = Mohar = Tola = 2.93 troy grains *

= Mohar = Tola = 0.71 troy grains

Gallery

File:Nepal30005.JPG, Nepalese silver mohar in the name of king Chakravartendra Malla of Kathmandu, dated

789 = AD 1669, obverse File:Nepal30007.JPG, Nepalese silver mohar in the name of king Chakravartendra Malla of Kathmandu, dated Nepal Sambat 789 = AD 1669, reverse File:Nepal30009.JPG, Copper coin of Jishnu Gupta (c. 622-633) of the Nepalese Licchhavi Dynasty. Reverse File:Nepal30010.JPG, Gunanka. File:Half Mohar Rajendra Vikrama.jpg, Half Mohar Rajendra Vikrama File:Quater Mohar Rajendra Vikrama.jpg, Suka Mohar Rajendra Vikrama in the name of Queen Samrajya lakshmi. File:1-8 Mohar Rajendra Vikrama.jpg, 1-8 Mohar Rajendra Vikrama File:Half Mohar Rana Bahadur Shah.jpg, Half Mohar Rana Bahadur Shah File:Silver Dam Girvana Yuddha.jpg, Uni-face Silver Dam Girvana Yuddha. File:Rana Bahadur 1 paisa.jpg, Rana Bahadur 1 paisa. File:Rana Bahadur Half paisa.jpg, Rana Bahadur Half paisa. File:Obverse of a 10 Paisa coin of Nepal.jpg, Obverse of a 10 Paisa coin of Nepal from the reign of Mahendra Bir Bikram, made of brass.

External links

References

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