Sunsari, March 22 -- As many as 162 coins believed to have been minted around 200 years ago were recovered while digging the foundation for a commercial building in Bijayapurdanda of Dharan sub-metropolis-14.

Workers recovered the ancient coins while digging pits for the building's foundation in front of Pindeshwor Temple on Wednesday. The land where the old coins were found belongs to Pindeshwor Vidyapeeth, a college affiliated to the Nepal Sanskrit University.

"Some of the coins were minted during the rule of Surendra Shah. Nine copper coins do not have any particular imprints. They could be even older," said Bikash Banepali, chairman of the Pindeshwor Babadham Committee. A silver coin minted by the East India Company was also found. ...