Nepalese banknotes
The first Nepalese banknotes were issued in 1945 and have since appeared in several series with portraits of four different kings, until in 2007 a note without a portrait of a king was first put into circulation.
The first banknotes with the portrait of King Tribhuvan (reigned until 1955)
The first Nepalese banknotes appeared in denominations of 5, 10 and 100 mohurs and on the obverse, next to the inscription, the main motif was a portrait of King Tribhuvan with the traditional crown and a tail made of bird of paradise feathers. In 1951 a value was added to a rupee, on which a coin can be seen instead of the portrait of the king. This shows the date 2008 (= 1951). This means that this banknote can be dated precisely, while almost all other banknotes circulating in Nepal were issued without a date.
Banknotes with the portrait of King Mahendra (ruled 1955–1972)
Two series can be distinguished from this period. One shows the king in civilian clothes with the Nepalese headgear for men called " topi ". The second series shows the king in uniform. During Mahendra's time, the denominations of banknotes were changed from mohur to rupee. Values of 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 rupees of the second series were put into circulation.
Banknotes with the portrait of King Birendra (1972-2001)
Two series can also be distinguished from this period: the first series shows the king in uniform, while on the notes of the second series he can be seen with the traditional crown. For the first time, notes of 2 and 20 rupees were introduced, which circulated alongside the values of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 rupees. Two special editions of 25 and 250 rupees have also appeared.
Banknotes with the portrait of King Gyanendra (2001–2008)
The design of the notes from this period largely follows that of the notes of King Birendra, whose portrait has been replaced by that of his younger brother and successor Gyanendra. The small values of 1 and 2 rupees were no longer printed and are only in circulation as coins.
Banknotes of the Republic of Nepal
Although Nepal only officially became a republic in 2008 , a 500 rupee note appeared in autumn 2007, on which the portrait of King Gyanendra was replaced by a picture of Mount Everest . In 2008, the remaining values of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 1000 rupees followed.
Illustrations on the banknotes
In addition to the aforementioned portraits of the kings, historical buildings (especially Hindu temples) and statues of deities can be seen on the front of the notes. Nepalese landscapes or typical animals are depicted on the back of the notes. The best-known animals that are still wild in the jungle area of southern Nepal are the Indian rhinoceros (note at 100 rupees), the tiger (500 rupees) and elephants (1000 rupees).
Issuing institution and printing locations
The notes of the first series from the Tribhuvan period were issued by the national treasury ( Sadar Muluki Khana ) and bear the signature of the head of this office, who bore the title Kajanchi and was also a royal priest. Thus, the early banknotes of Nepal are possibly the only banknotes in the world that carry the signature of a Hindu priest. At the time of King Mahendra, the Nepal Rastra Bank (National Bank of Nepal) was founded in April 1956. Since then, the banknotes have been signed by the respective governor of this institution. The early Tribhuvanian banknotes were made by the Indian Security Press in Nashik . The government of Nepal commissioned well-known foreign companies such as Thomas de la Rue or Giesecke & Devrient for the later banknote issues .
literature
- Agrawal (Giriya), Shyam and Gyawali, Kamal Prasad: Notes and Coins of Nepal. Nepal Rastra Bank Golden Jubilee Year 2005/06, Kathmandu 2006.
- Wolfgang Bertsch: The Legends on the Banknotes of Nepal. In: International Banknote Society (IBNS) Journal. Vol. 48, No. 3, 2009, pp. 39-44.
- Jaya Hari Jha: An Overview of Nepalese Paper Money. Manjeeta Jha, Lalitpur (Patan) BS 2058 = AD 2001, ISBN 99933-682-1-0 .
- Khatiwada, Shyam: Glimpses of Nepalese Paper Currency. Published by Mrs. Bhagawati Khatiwada, Kathmandu, 2012. ISBN 978-9937-2-4680-4 .
- Giovanni Lorenzoli: Nepali artistic buildings as seen on Nepali notes. In: Journal of the International Banknote Society. Vol. 43, No. 3, 2004, pp. 6-14.
- Ramesh Shrestha: Nepalese Coins & Bank Notes. (1911 to 1955). Kazi Mudhusudan Raj Bhandary, Kathmandu 2007.
- Hans Wittmann: The banknotes of the Kingdom of Nepal. Wiesbaden 2002 (unpublished).