Rūpa means form or shape, example, rūpyarūpa, rūpya – wrought silver, rūpa – form. 340–290 BCE), mentions silver coins as rūpyarūpa, other types including gold coins ( rūpya-suvarṇa), copper coins ( tāmrarūpa) and lead coins ( sīsarūpa) are mentioned.

Īrthashastra, written by Chanakya, chief adviser to the first Maurya emperor Chandragupta Maurya (c. The term is from rūpya, a Sanskrit term for silver coin, from Sanskrit rūpa, beautiful form. 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 history of the rupee traces back to Ancient India circa 3rd century BC.

The British Raj issued 1 Rupee banknote, 1917. It is derived from the noun rūpa ( रूप) 'shape, likeness, image'. The Hindustani word rupyā is derived from the Sanskrit word rūpya ( रूप्य), which means 'wrought silver, a coin of silver', in origin an adjective meaning 'shapely', with a more specific meaning of 'stamped, impressed', whence 'coin'. The Mauritian, Seychellois, and Sri Lankan rupees subdivide into 100 cents. The Nepalese rupee (रू) subdivides into one hundred paisa (singular and plural) or four sukaas. The Indian rupees ( ₹) and Pakistani rupees ( Rs. ) are subdivided into one hundred paise (singular paisa) or pice. In Indonesia and the Maldives, the unit of currency is known as rupiah and rufiyaa respectively, cognates of the word rupee. India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, Burma, German East Africa (as Rupie/Rupien), and Tibet. Rupee is the common name for the currencies of Orange: Countries where a foreign country's rupee is legal tender

India, Indonesia, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka Purple: Countries using a rupee as an official currency

All indian rupees