page_title: Rupee
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Rupee / History
caption_attribution_description: English: A coin of the en:Nanda Empire. The five symbols on this coin are: Sun symbol, six-armed (Magadha) symbol, bull on hilltop, Indradhvaja flanked by four taurines, elephant. Français&#160;: Monnaie de l'fr:Empire Nanda. हिन्दी: hi:नंद वंश के सिक्का Italiano: Moneta dell'Imperoit:Nanda.
context_page_description: Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, all Arab states of the Persian Gulf, British East Africa, Burma, German East Africa, the Trucial States, and Tibet. In Indonesia and the Maldives the unit of currency is known as rupiah and rufiyaa respectively.
  The Indian rupees and Pakistani rupees are subdivided into one hundred paise or pice. The Mauritian, Seychellois, and Sri Lankan rupees subdivide into 100 cents. The Nepalese rupee subdivides into one hundred paisa or four Sukaas.
context_section_description: The history of the rupee traces back to Ancient India circa 3rd century BC. Ancient India was one of the earliest issuers of coins in the world, along with the Lydian staters, several other Middle Eastern coinages and the Chinese wen.
  The term is from rūpya, a Sanskrit term for silver coin, from Sanskrit rūpa, beautiful form.
  Arthashastra, written by Chanakya, prime minister to the first Maurya emperor Chandragupta Maurya (c. 340–290 BCE), mentions silver coins as rūpyarūpa, other types including gold coins (suvarṇarūpa), copper coins (tāmrarūpa) and lead coins (sīsarūpa) are mentioned. Rūpa means form or shape, example, rūpyarūpa, rūpya – wrought silver,  rūpa – form.
  In the intermediate times there was no fixed monetary system as reported by the Da Tang Xi Yu Ji.
  Sher Shah Suri (1540–1545), re-introduced the silver coin rupiya, weighing 178 grains. Its use was continued by the Mughal rulers. Suri also introduced copper coins called dam and gold coins called mohur that weighed 169 grains (10.95 g).
  Until the middle of the 20th century, Tibet's official currency was also known as the Tibetan rupee.
  Early 19th-century East India Company rupees were used in Australia for a limited period.
  The Indian rupee was the official currency of Dubai and Qatar until 1959, when India created a new Gulf rupee (also known as the "external rupee") to hinder the smuggling of gold. The Gulf rupee was legal tender until 1966, when India significantly devalued the Indian rupee and a new Qatar-Dubai riyal was established to provide economic stability.
caption: Silver coin of the Maurya Empire, known as rūpyarūpa, with symbols of wheel and elephant. 3rd century BC.
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