Today is Dhanteras (Dhanteras 2024). Many people buy silver coins today. Coins are also used for worship and as offerings in temples. This has been in practice for thousands of years. During the Mughal period, only silver and gold coins were in circulation. Even though the shape and size of the coin changed with time, its importance never diminished. There are 180 currencies in the world and all include coins. Let us tell you about these coins today on the day of Dhanteras.
coins made 4 thousand years ago
The use of coins first started in the Babylonian civilization. Many types of metals were used to make it. But the first use of coins was started by King Croesus of Lydia. His rule was in Türkiye. The world’s oldest coin is the Lydian Lion, which was introduced by this ruler. The face of a lion is made on it. This 4.7 gram coin is made of silver and gold.
Shershah Suri gave the name ‘Rupaya’
Earlier in India there was a trend of giving goods in exchange. This is called barter system. It is believed that metal coins started being made in India even before the Maurya dynasty. Evidence of this has also been found in Harappan culture. The first coin in India was called ‘Pana’. This coin was found in Barh Nagar near Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. On one side there was a picture of an elephant and on the other side a picture of a tiger. In ancient India, silver coin was called ‘Rupaka’ and gold coin was called ‘Dinar’. In 1545, Sher Shah Suri named the currency Rupee. Since then the currency of India is called Rupee. Earlier, kings used to make coins as per their wish, which mostly had their faces or pictures of animals and birds, but now in India, only the Government of India makes coins.
In India, 1 rupee coin is made of stainless steel, 2 and 5 rupee coins are made of copper and nickel (Image-Canva)
Place used to be identified by looking at coins
historian Dr. Amarjeev Lochan It is said that there is always some picture drawn on the coin. Coins show power which was a symbol of the power of the king in earlier times. It also shows time and place because the year and some place are marked in it. They are also the face of the society. The coins of British India mostly had the faces of the King and Queen, but when India became independent, coins were issued independently in 1950. There were coins of 1/2, 1/4, 2 anna, 10 paisa, 20 paisa, fournni, eighty-nine and 1 rupee. There was a picture of the lion and corn of Ashoka Pillar on the 1 rupee coin.
4 mints of coins in India
In India, coins are made in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Noida. The coins made in each mint have different identities. If you look at the coin carefully, you will find that there are some shapes below the year written on it. If there is a diamond shaped mark below the year, then understand that it is a coin of Mumbai Mint. Even if M is written in place of Diamond, it still means Mumbai. There is no marking on the coins made in the Kolkata mint. The coins which have a star below the year or a dot in the middle of the diamond shape are the mark of Hyderabad Mint. Dot mark is made on the coins made in Noida mint.
Maa Lakshmi on coin
On Dhanteras, coins with the picture of Goddess Lakshmi are sold in most jewelery shops, but this type of coin was first issued in 1719 during the Kushan rule. After this, the Gupta dynasty, King Harihara II of Vijayanagara and Muhammad Ibn Sam have also issued such gold and silver coins.
20 rupee coin is made from copper, zinc and nickel (Image-Canva)
Omen of 1 rupee coin
1 rupee is very popular in Hindu religion. There is definitely a coin of 1 rupee on the envelope of every Shagun. Actually, it is believed that Goddess Lakshmi resides in a one rupee coin and whether it is 100 rupees or 1 lakh rupees, if 1 rupee is added to it, then this amount does not get divided and this strengthens the relationship. At the same time, zero is not considered auspicious, hence in every auspicious work, a coin of 1 rupee is added along with small or big amount of money.
strange coins
In 2012, the Mint in Perth, Australia issued a coin in the shape of the map of its country. In 2007, a coin of US President John F Kennedy was released in America. There was a button on its other side, when pressed, a video was played in which his speech given in 1963 was played. In Japan, coins were made from cardboard because the demand for metal had increased a lot. This coin remained in circulation for 13 years. At the same time, in 2007, a silver coin was issued on the island of Palau which had a small vial of holy water attached to it. The world’s largest coin weighs 1 tonne and is made of gold. There is a kangaroo drawn on it. Its diameter is 80 centimeters.
Tags: economic growth, History of India, Indian economy, Indian currency, rupee weakness
FIRST PUBLISHED: October 29, 2024, 11:17 IST
