Conversation so far:
which was the first note in independent india
The first banknote printed by the Independent India was a 1 rupee note.
when was paper money introduced to india
Paper Money, as we know it today, was introduced in India in the late Eighteenth Century.
how was the political climate in india at the time of the late 18th century
This was a period of intense political turmoil and uncertainty in the wake of the collapse of the Mughal Empire and the advent of the colonial powers.

Question: what was used before paper
Self-contained rewrite: what was used before paper in india for currency