2026-08-10 Mon

Dungarpur was a princely state in southern Rajasthan, founded in the late 12th century by Samant Singh, eldest son of the ruler of Mewar. The rulers held the title of Maharawal. Lakshman Singh succeeded his father, Maharawal Sir Bijai Singh, in November 1918 at the age of ten, during the influenza pandemic. He ruled under a British political agent’s regency until assuming full powers in 1928. His long reign (1918–1948/49) saw the final decades of British paramount, the Second World War, and the transition to independent India.

He played a role in integrating Dungarpur into the United State of Rajasthan in 1948. After independence he remained active in public life, served in the Rajya Sabha and later as Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. He died in 1989 after a remarkably long association with the state.

The katar and jhar motifs appear on other Dungarpur coinage and it reflect local heraldic or traditional symbolism. The high-quality strike, reeded borders, and careful centering typical of surviving specimens indicate these were special presentations rather than ordinary currency.

Here, Nazarana Mohur is a machine-struck (milled) gold coin, weighs 10.95 gram. The obverse depicts Devanagari legend “Rajya Dungarpur” (राज्य डूंगरपुर), enclosed within a double linear reeded border. The reverse of the coin features a central katar with a jhar below it and the date legend above, again within a double linear reeded border.

The Lakshman Singh’s Gold Nazarana Mohur of VS 2000 stands as a tangible link to the final years of Dungarpur’s independent existence and to one of its most notable modern rulers. With its clean design, historical associations, and extreme rarity, it remains a highlight for collectors of Indian princely-state gold and a vivid reminder of the ceremonial coinage traditions that persisted into the mid-20th century. High-grade, well-documented examples continue to attract strong interest whenever they appear on the market.