Item number: A2897

Year: AD 1722

Material: Silver

Size: 26.1 x 25.8 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 5.3 g

Provenance: Chang Ming-chuan Collection 2019

This is a mohar silver coin minted in Nepal during the 18th century, widely circulated in trade throughout the Himalayan region. At that time, Nepal was politically fragmented into three small kingdoms: Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur. Based on the stylistic characteristics of this coin, it is attributed to the Kingdom of Bhaktapur.

The obverse of the coin features a solid central circle enclosing a trident, symbolising both the divine authority of Lord Shiva and the sovereign power of the monarch. At the top of the circle, a ceremonial sword is depicted, serving as an emblem of royal legitimacy and martial strength. Surrounding the central motif is a decorative border composed of radiating lines and beaded elements, interspersed with inscriptions in Devanagari script.

The reverse of the coin is considerably worn, though certain details remain faintly discernible. At the centre lies a wave-shaped ornamental frame enclosing three lines of inscription that confer honorific titles upon the monarch. Surrounding this central motif is a decorative band inscribed in Devanagari script. At the bottom of the design, the date is indicated according to the Nepalese calendar—also known as the Saka era—as the year “842,” which corresponds to AD 1722.

The year of issuance corresponds to the reign of Ranajit Malla, the last ruler of the Kingdom of Bhaktapur. Renowned for his literary prowess, Ranajit Malla made significant contributions to the development of Nepalese literature. In AD 1769, following the defeat of the Bhaktapur Kingdom by the rising Gorkha dynasty, he voluntarily went into exile and spent the remainder of his life in the sacred Hindu city of Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges River.

Since the fifth century, Tibet has maintained close commercial trade with the kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley in the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Starting from the seventeenth century, Tibet annually provided a large amount of silver to Nepal, which was then used by the latter to mint silver coins. With the unification of the Kathmandu Valley’s three kingdoms under the rule of King Prithvi Narayan Shah in AD 1767, negotiations between the Khalsa dynasty and Tibet over the purity of minted silver coins broke down, leading to increased trade and border conflicts between the two nations.

In AD 1788 and AD 1791, Nepal–Tibet Wars erupted, during which the Khalsa forces briefly occupied the fief of the Panchen Lama, the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. Sensing the escalating situation, Emperor Qianlong dispatched his nephew, Prince Jiayong of the Second Rank, Fukan’an, to lead Qing forces into Tibet. In AD 1792, facing the advance of Fukan’an’s troops towards the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, the Khalsa dynasty surrendered and became a vassal state of the Qing Empire. Concurrently, Emperor Qianlong exploited the war to enhance the authority and military presence of the Imperial Commissioner-Resident of Tibet, strengthening Qing control and influence over Tibet.

物件編號: A2897

年代: 公元 1722 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 26.1 x 25.8 x 0.9 mm

重量: 5.3 g

來源: 張明泉舊藏 2019

這是一枚公元18世紀，廣泛用於喜馬拉雅山區貿易的尼泊爾造莫哈爾銀幣，彼時尼泊爾分裂為三個小王國，分別是加德滿都、帕坦和巴德岡。從這枚錢幣的造型設計來作推斷，其製造者為巴德岡王國。

錢幣正面有一個實心圓，內部打印一把象徵濕婆神和君王權威的三叉戟。實心圓的頂端以一柄寶劍作為裝飾，周圍以線條和珠點組成的天城文作為裝飾。

錢幣背面的磨蝕狀況較為嚴重，不過尚能勉強辨識細節。錢幣正中央是波浪狀的造型框，裡面有三行賦予國王的頭銜銘文。外圍的周圍同樣以天城文裝飾，最下方標示尼泊爾曆法，也稱作塞迦曆，其年份為「842」相當於公元1722年。

錢幣的發行年份對應到巴德岡王國末代統治者拉納吉塔·馬拉。拉納吉塔·馬拉以他的文學造詣出名，對於尼泊爾的文學發展有巨大貢獻。公元1769年，巴德岡王國遭到後起之秀廓爾喀王朝擊敗後，拉納吉塔·馬拉自請流放到恆河邊的印度教聖城瓦拉納西度過餘生。

自公元五世紀起，西藏跟地處喜馬拉雅山南麓的尼泊爾谷地諸王國有密切商貿往來。公元十七世紀起，西藏每年提供大量的白銀給尼泊爾，委由後者鑄造銀幣。隨著公元1767年，強人普利特維·納拉揚·沙阿國王領導下，廓爾喀王朝統一尼泊爾谷地的三個王國。廓爾喀王朝跟西藏就鑄幣銀純度的談判破局，致使兩國貿易和邊界衝突激增。公元1788和1791年，先後發生兩次廓爾喀戰爭，廓爾喀還一度攻下班禪的駐錫地扎什倫布寺。乾隆皇帝有鑑於此，派遣姪子「嘉勇郡王」福康安率軍入藏。公元1792年，面對福康安領導的清軍逼近首都加德滿都，廓爾喀王朝降服和成為清帝國藩屬。另一方面，乾隆皇帝也藉此戰爭，增加駐藏大臣權力和駐軍，強化清帝國對於西藏的控制和影響力。