Gandhi Wants His Change Trivia Quiz

Answer: One Mohur

The Mohur was a gold coin equal to approximately fifteen Rupees. It was first minted in India in the sixteenth century. During the period of the British Raj, the coin was minted by both the British government in India (until 1918) as well as some of the princely states (in some cases as late as 1947). From 1835 to 1918 a double Mohur coin was minted by the British government (also called an Ashrafi).

It contained 23.3 grams of gold (0.9170 fine) and weighed 0.69 of an ounce.

Answer: One Rupee

The Rupee has existed since ancient times--perhaps as far back as Emperor Chandragupta Maurya (c. 340-290 BCE). Throughout much of its history, the Rupee was a silver coin. The Rupee was an important coin both during the period of the British Raj and under the Republic of India.

In 1957, the Rupee was converted to a decimal standard with one Rupee equal to 100 Paise as compared to the old exchange rate of one Rupee to 64 Paise.

Answer: One Ardharupee

The Ardharupee was worth half of the value of the Rupee. The 50 Naya Paise or Paise coins issued after 1957 would be equivalent in value. The Ardharupee issed by the British East India Company and the British Raj would have been silver.

Answer: One Pavala

The Pavala had a face value of one-fourth of a Rupee. The 25 Naya Paise or Paise coins issued after 1957 would be equivalent value. The pavala issued by the British East India Company and British Raj would have been silver.

Answer: One Beda

The Beda was a pre-decimal coin worth two Annas or one-eighth of a Rupee. The Beda issued by the British East India Company and British Raj would have been silver.

Answer: One Anna

Sixteen Annas were equal to one Rupee. One Anna was equal to four Pices or twelve Pies. Like many other non-decimal coins in the Indian coinage system, the Anna was demonetized in 1957. The term "Anna" is still used informally in referring to 50 Paise coins as being worth eight Annas and 25 Paise coins as being worth four Annas.

Answer: One Paraka

The Paraka was a pre-decimal coin in India worth one-half of a Anna or two Pices. The Parakas issued by the British East India Company and British Raj would have been copper in the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century, the coins would have been issued in bronze.

Answer: One Pice (before 1957)

The Pice was a coin equal in value to three Pies and was issued from 1835 to 1957. Four Pices were equal to one Anna and sixty-four Pices were equal to one Rupee. Pice and Paisa are considered alternate spellings of the same coinage concept. With decimalization, the ratio between the Rupee and the Paisa or Pice changed from 1:64 to 1:100.

Answer: One Naya Paisa (after 1957)

The Naya Paisa was first minted in 1957 as part of the decimalization of India's monetary system. 100 Naya Paise were equal to one Rupee. After 1964, the word "Naya" was dropped from the name of the coin. The initial Naya Paisa (issued 1957-1962) was bronze, weighed about 1.5 grams and measured about 16 millimeters across the diameter. Issues of the Paisa beginning in 1964 were aluminum. By 1997 all coins denominated lower than 50 Paise had been demonetized.

Answer: One Pie

The Pie was a coin in circulation in India until 1947. It was a low denomination coin with three Pies equal to a pre-decimal Paisa, twelve Pies equal to an Anna, and 192 Pies equal to a Rupee. During the nineteenth century, one Pie was equal to 12 Cowrie shells.

The last year the Pie was minted was 1942. By the time of it was demonetized in 1947, the Pie had almost no value left. The Pie was a copper coin. The Pie minted in 1883 weighed about 2.1 grams and measured about 18 millimeters across the diameter.