Rupiya of Sher Shah Suri
Description
Rupiya (Sanskrit – Rupyaka) means a piece of silver. The currency of Rupiya or what we call the Rupee was introduced by Sher Shah Suri around 1540 CE. He standardised the weight of the Rupee at 178 grains (11.60 Gms) and gave it the name of Rupiya. The Mughal rulers continued with the currency of Rupiya along with its lower denomination the ‘Paisa’. It then became the standard currency for the whole of India and was introduced in other colonial countries during the British rule. The silver content of the rupee gradually decreased to such an extent that today it has no silver content at all. The present rupee coin is made of nickel.
The term Rupee is also used for currency in Nepal, Indonesia, Maldives, Mauritius, Pakistan, Seychelles and Sri Lanka.
Collection
Numismatics
Object Type
Coin
Material
Silver
Schools/Culture/Period
Sūr dynasty
Technique
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Date
1538 – 1545 CE
Location
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Dimension
Weight: 11.2 gm