Rupee

Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Pakistan, Indonesia, the Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Tibet, Burma, British East Africa, German East Africa, the Trucial States, and all Arab states of the Persian Gulf (as the Gulf rupee). 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 (singular paisa) or pice. The Mauritian, Seychellois, and Sri Lankan rupees subdivide into 100 cents. The Nepalese rupee subdivides into one hundred paisas (both singular and double) or four Sukaas. The word 'rupee' is derived from the Sanskrit term rūpya which means 'wrought silver, a coin of silver', in origin an adjective meaning 'shapely', with a more specific meaning of 'stamped, impressed', whence 'coin'. It is derived from the noun rūpa 'shape, likeness, image'. The word rūpa is further identified as related to the Tamil root uruppu, which means 'a member of the body'. Also, the word rūpam is rooted in Tamil as uru(shape) derived from ur (form) which itself is rooted in ul meaning 'appear'. 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 grams. 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). Both the Kabuli rupee and the Kandahari rupee were used as currency in Afghanistan prior to 1891, when they were standardized as the Afghan rupee. The Afghan rupee, which was subdivided into 60 paisas, was replaced by the Afghan afghani in 1925.