India has been one of the earliest issuers of coins in the world The word rūpiya is alleged to be derived from a Dravidian (language family spoken mainly in southern India) word rūpa, which means "wrought silver, a coin of silver",
The Rupee (₨ or Rs.) is the common name for the currencies used in India.
The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India.
The coins currently in circulation are 50 paise, Rs. 1, Rs. 2, Rs. 5, Rs. 10. The currency notes in circulation are Rs. 5, Rs. 10, Rs. 20, Rs. 50, Rs. 100, Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000. The current series which began in 1996 is called the Mahatma Gandhi series.
All the coins and currency notes are issued by the Reserve Bank of India. The largest value of banknote in India is 1000Rs. Each banknote has its amount written in 17 languages (English & Hindi on the front, and 15 others on the back) illustrating the diversity of the country.
