Spotlight
Rupiyanama: Princely Indian Rupees by Mohit Kapoor
Find out how successor states and princely kingdoms in India embraced the rupee after the fall of the Mughals
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Rupiyanama: Portraits on Rupees by Pascal R Lopes
From monarchs to Mahatma Gandhi–a tour of the most iconic portraits engraved on the rupee
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Rupiyanama: European Rupees by Dr Shailendra Bhandare
How British and other European colonial powers adopted and adapted the Indian rupee in African and Asian countries
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Monarchs, Pirates & a Controversial Rupee
A retelling of a 17th-century scandal in Bombay, featuring the original Captain Jack Sparrow
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Royal Indian Symbols on Rupees
Decode the emblems on coins that that signalled political identity in pre-Independence India
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The Man Behind Bombay Mint
The adventures of John Hawkins in setting up the first modern mint in the port city
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Art & Poetry on Jahangir’s Coins
Why the rupees of this iconoclastic Mughal emperor are a favourite with coin collectors around the world
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Earliest coins of India
Featuring rare, punch-marked coins over 2500 years old from ancient and medieval India
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Odyssey of the Rupee
Dive deeper into some historic moments and milestones from the 500-year journey of the Indian rupee
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Travancore State, Hundi paper of 12-annas revenue value
How large sums of rupees changed hands. A ‘hundi’ was a bill of exchange, drawn on a banker’s account, to another account. It could be cashed on demand, when presented to the account it was drawn to. This little document would specify the names of the issuer and receiver, the amount and commission, and validity… Read more »
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Muhammad Shah, Silver Rupee of Lahore mint, overstamped ‘Java’ by the Dutch East India Company for local circulation
Adventures of an Indian rupee in Java. Owing to the success of the Mughal Rupee as a reliable trade coin, the Dutch East India Company made it an official currency on the island of Java in 1693. Rupees coming in with the trade were countermarked for local use. By far the most common mark was… Read more »
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Italian Somaliland, Silver Rupee of the Royal Mint Rome
An Italian rupee in Africa. Between the 18th and 20th centuries, the most popular coins in the Horn of Africa were the Maria Theresa thaler and the Indian rupee. After Somalia was colonised by Italy, the colonial administration created a Somalian Rupee on par with the Indian one in 1909. Struck at the Royal Mint… Read more »
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Reserve Bank of India – ten-rupee banknote, issued for use in the Persian Gulf (signed by HVR Iyengar)
A rupee to stop smuggling. In 1959, the Reserve Bank of India launched a series of special notes to circulate only in the Gulf States. They were meant to stop the transfer of rupees to buy gold and smuggle it illegally into India. The rupee remained legal tender in the Arab kingdoms till 1972.
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British India, George V, One rupee bank note, (signed by M M S Gubbay, 1st issue 1917, Serial No M9 830209)
The rupee’s first paper avatar. World War I disrupted the supply of metals like silver and copper, and led to the hoarding of coins. Fearing a run on the silver rupee coins, the Government of India introduced notes to replace the 1-rupee coins in 1917. Signed by the Controller of Currency, they had an imprint… Read more »
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Republic of India, 1000 rupee bank note issued by the Reserve Bank of India(Governor: NC Sen Gupta)
Another memorable demonetisation. The Janata Party coalition government cancelled notes of 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 rupees overnight on 16 January 1978. The motive was to target ‘black money’, as advocated by the Wanchoo Committee Report of 1970. Treasuries and banks were shut the next day to catch cash-holders off guard. The move didn’t impact the… Read more »
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Republic of India, One rupee of Bombay Mint (First rupee of the Republic)
The first rupee of the Republic of India. After we attained Independence in 1947, India continued using British-Indian coinage until August 15, 1950, when coinage carrying the new national emblem was launched. Symbols of British rule were removed from currency. On one-rupee coins, George VI’s portrait was replaced with the icon of the Lion Capital… Read more »
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Republic of India, ‘FAO’ Rupee, (Commemorating Rainfed Farming)
The rupee as a public pledge. In the 1960s, severe droughts left India vulnerable to widespread food shortage and provided the impetus for the Green Revolution. Providing food security for all citizens was a top national priority. So in 1968, when the United Nations’s Food and Agriculture Organisation launched the ‘FAO coin program’ to create… Read more »
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Republic of India, Rupee of Heaton Mint, Birmingham
When we outsourced the rupee. In the 1980s, the demand for 1-rupee coins grew sharply. Measures like introducing new 2-rupee and 5-rupee coins did not fully resolve the capacity issues at Indian mints. As a result, the manufacture of coins was outsourced contractually to a number of mints abroad. Coins struck abroad at these foreign… Read more »
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British India, King George V, Gold Fifteen Rupee coin of Bombay Mint
The rupee moves to the gold standard. During World War I, gold bullion was diverted to India from South Africa and Australia. In 1917, it was decided to coin it into ‘sovereigns’ equal to 15-rupees’ value at the Bombay mint. However,this foreign design was not popular. In 1918, a gold 15-rupee coin of the same… Read more »
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British India, King George V, Silver Rupee of Calcutta Mint
“It would appear that knowledge of natural history is somewhat lacking among the draughtsmen responsible for designing coinage in London,” observed a newspaper report from January 1912. It was referring to rupees launched in December 1911 carrying George V’s effigy in full coronation regalia, designed by Bertram Mackennal. But people soon noticed that the figure… Read more »