How architecture has influenced the new bank notes

There’s been a slew of new bank notes in India and an interesting feature of each note is the picture printed on the non-value face — an architectural gem in all but one instance. Here’s a look:

Rs 100 - Rani Ki Vav
The newest addition to the revamped-currency-notes club carries a picture of the famous step well at Patan in Gujarat. Interestingly, this architectural wonder was lost to us, and rediscovered as recently as 30 years back. The 11th century stepwell was buried for more than 700 years, and only rediscovered in the 1980s by ASI. When restored, the 1,000-plus principal and minor sculptures were found in pristine condition.


Rs 500 - Red Fort
It is one of the most well recognised monuments in India, and yet there isn’t everything that we know about it. Only recently, during a cleaning exercise, Archeological Survey of India (ASI) personnel discovered a hidden chamber. It is stipulated that the chamber may have been originally used to store ammunition. When it was discovered the crypt was full of mud and no explosives or firearms were found.



Rs 50 - Hampi
Hampi is famous as the city of ruins. While there’s nothing like taking in the real deal, there is digital help at hand for those who can’t make the trek. Thanks to the Indian Digital Heritage Project, images of the complex, like that of the Vitthala complex, the Stone Chariot, Bhim’s Gate and the Maha mantapa, among others can be enjoyed virtually.

Rs 200 - Sanchi Stupa
The site of Sanchi, around 40 km from Bhopal, comprises a group of Buddhist monuments. It was here that the relics of the two seniormost disciples of the Buddha, Sariputta and Maha Moggallana, were discovered, in 1851 by Alexander Cunningham, the founder of ASI They were later removed and taken to London. It was the combined efforts of the Maha Bodhi Society, Jawaharlal Nehru and the last Nawab of Bhopal, that ensured that these relics came back to India, and were placed in the newly-built Chetiyagiri Vihara in November 1952.

Rs 2,000 - Mangalyaan
When Mangalyaan, colloquially known as India’s Mars Mission, was launched, the cost of the project — `4.5 billion — became a talking point. It was way lower than what comparable projects by other nations cost. For example, the American Maven orbiter had cost10 times more at the time. It almost seems ironic, that the highest value note in the Indian currency chest carries a picture of a Mission that is as known for its low cost as it is for its high achievement.

Rs 10 - Sun Temple, Konark
The 13th century architectural marvel, an ode to the Sun god, is constructed like a chariot with 24 wheels and seven mighty horses. Much like the famous Kandariya Mahadeva and Lakshmana temples at Khajuraho, the Sun temple is also adorned by numerous religious, mythological and aesthetic sculptures. Perhaps Rabindranath Tagore’s words describe it best: “Here the language of stone surpasses the language of man.”