Nepalese banknotes Nepalese currency Nepali old banknotes.
Nepalese banknotes Nepalese currency
Nepali old banknotes.
The rupee (Nepali: रूपैयाँ) is the official currency of
Nepal.
The present rupee has the
ISO 4217 code NPR and is normally abbreviated with the
sign रू. It is subdivided into
100 paisa. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the
Nepal Rastra Bank. Several other currencies are also called rupee. The
Nepalese rupee is pegged to the
Indian rupee.
History
The rupee was introduced in 1932, replacing the silver mohar at a rate of 2 mohar = 1 rupee. Initially, the rupee was called the mohru in Nepali. Its value was pegged to the Indian rupee in
1993 at a rate of 1.6 Nepalese rupees = 1 Indian rupee.
Banknotes
On
17 September 1945, the government introduced notes for 5, 10 and 100 rupees, with the name mohru used in Nepalese.[2]
There are also 25- and 250-rupee notes commemorating the
Silver Jubilee of
Birendra Bir Bikram Shah in
1997.[citation needed]
Since 2007, Nepalese rupee banknotes have been produced by
Perum Peruri, the
National Mint Public Company of
Indonesia.
Between 1945 and
2007 Nepalese banknotes were issued with the portraits of four different kings. Starting in
October 2007 the king’s portrait was replaced by
Mount Everest on all notes which have been issued since.
1945 -
1955
The early banknotes which were issued between 1945 and 1955 during the rule of
King Tribhuvan were not put into circulation by a
Central Bank which did not exist in Nepal at that time. The issuing authority was the treasury which had the name
Sadar Muluki
Khana. Therefore, the notes of king
Tribhuvan were not signed by a bank governor, but by a Kajanchi (head of the treasury) who was a high
Hindu priest in the same time. Nepal’s early paper currency probably includes the only notes of the world which were signed by a high priest. These early notes were printed by the
Indian Security Press in
Nashik and do not have any security features, except for the water marks and the special paper on which they are printed.
1955 -
1972
Starting with
King Mahendra who succeeded to his father Tribhuvan in 1955, the banknotes were issued by Nepal Rastra Bank (Nepal
National Bank) which was founded in April
1956. The signature of the governors of this institution is found on the banknotes which were issued after this date. Under king Mahendra the Nepalese
Government became “
His Majesty’s Government” (expressed by "shri 5 ko sarakar" which literally means “the government of the five times honoured”) and remained this way during the rule of Birendra and Gyanendra. Two series of banknotes were issued during the rule of king Mahendra: The first series shows the king in civilian clothes wearing the Nepalese “topi” while on the notes of the second series the king is shown in military uniform. The second series comprised for the first time notes of the high value of
500 and
1000 rupees.
1972 -
2001
During
King Birendra’s rule one can also distinguish between two major series of banknotes. The first series features the king wearing military uniform while on the notes of the second series the king is wearing the traditional Nepalese crown adorned with feathers of the bird of paradise. During this period regular banknotes of 2 and 20 rupees and special banknotes of 25 and 250 rupees were issued for the first time.
2001 - 2007
The banknotes issued during this period have the same basic design as those of King Birendra whose portrait was simply replaced by that of his younger brother and successor Gyanendra. The low values of 1 and 2 rupees, and the special values of 25 and 250 rupees were not issued any more.
The legends found on the last issues of Gyanendra revert to Nepal sarakar (“Nepalese Government”), thus omitting the reference to the king.