NPR – Nepalese Rupee
Monetary System
1932: 1 Nepalese rupee (NPR) = 100 paisa
2015 – 2020 Issues
Description: 5.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 120 x 70 mm
Lilac, brown, and green. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; temple of Kasthamandap in Kathmandu; obverse of coin. Back: English and Nepali text; bank logo; one yak; Mount Everest. Solid security thread. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation). 120 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 10.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 133 x 70 mm
Brown, green, and lilac. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; Garud Narayan of Changu Narayan temple; obverse of coin. Back: English and Nepali text; one black buck standing in field; bank logo. Windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (Unknown). 133 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 20.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 138 x 70 mm
Orange and brown. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; temple of god Krishna of Patan; Garuda atop pillar; obverse of coin. Back: English and Nepali text; two swamp deer; trees; mountain; bank logo. Windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (De La Rue). 138 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 50.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 142 x 70 mm
Purple, green, and blue. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; Rama-Janaki temple of Janakpur; obverse of coin. Back: English and Nepali text; snow leopard; mountains; bank logo. Windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (Perum Peruri). 142 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 100.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 146 x 70 mm
Green and lilac. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; Mayadevi inside silver metallic oval; map of Nepal; Ashoka pillar; wood carvings from temple of Taleju in Kathmandu; clouds. Back: English and Nepali text; one-horned rhinoceros adult and calf in grassy plain; bank logo. 2.0-mm wide red-to-green windowed security thread with demetalized NRB 100. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (China Bank Note Printing & Minting Corporation). 146 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 500.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 160 x 70 mm
Brown and violet. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; god Indra; Mount Amadablam and Thyangboche monastery; wood carvings; clouds. Back: English and Nepali text; bank logo; one tiger walking. 4-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (Perum Peruri). 160 x 70 mm. Paper.
2012 – 2016 Issues
These notes are like the preceding issues, but they are now dated at lower center front and back, and the bank name in English appears on the back.
Description: 5.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 120 x 70 mm
Lilac, brown, and green. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; temple of Taleju in Kathmandu; obverse of coin. Back: English and Nepali text; bank logo; two yaks grazing; Mount Everest. Solid security thread. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (De La Rue). 120 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 10.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 133 x 70 mm
Brown, green, and lilac. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; Garud Narayan of Changu Narayan temple; obverse of coin. Back: English and Nepali text; three black bucks grazing; trees; bank logo. Windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (De La Rue). 133 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 20.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 138 x 70 mm
Orange and brown. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; temple of god Krishna of Patan; Garuda atop pillar; obverse of coin. Back: English and Nepali text; one swamp deer; trees; mountain; bank logo. Windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (De La Rue). 138 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 50.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 142 x 70 mm
Purple, green, and blue. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; Rama-Janaki temple of Janakpur; obverse of coin. Back: English and Nepali text; male thar; mountains; bank logo. Windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (De La Rue). 142 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 100.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 146 x 70 mm
Green and lilac. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; Mayadevi inside silver metallic oval; map of Nepal; Ashoka pillar; wood carvings from temple of Taleju in Kathmandu; clouds. Back: English and Nepali text; one-horned rhinoceros in grassy plain; bank logo. 2.5-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (De La Rue). 146 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 500.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 160 x 70 mm
Brown and violet. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; god Indra; Mount Amadablam and Thyangboche monastery; wood carvings; clouds. Back: English and Nepali text; bank logo; two tigers drinking melted snow. 4-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (Oberthur Technologies). 160 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 1,000.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 172 x 70 mm
Blue, brown, and green. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; goddess Bhagwati; Swayambhunath stupa and temple of goddess Harati; obverse of coin. Back: English and Nepali text; elephant; bank logo. 4-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: Varieties. 172 x 70 mm. Paper.
2008 – 2012 Issues
These notes feature Mount Everest instead of a portrait of King Gyanendra, and the watermark is now that of a rhododendron, the national flower of Nepal. As such they are the first notes wherein all vestiges of the deposed king have been removed.
Description: 5.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 120 x 70 mm
Description: 10.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 133 x 70 mm
Brown, green, and lilac. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; Garud Narayan of Changu Narayan temple; obverse of coin. Back: English and Nepali text; three black bucks grazing; trees; bank logo. Windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (India Security Press). 133 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 20.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 138 x 70 mm
Orange and brown. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; temple of god Krishna of Patan; Garuda atop pillar; obverse of coin. Back: English and Nepali text; swamp deer; trees; mountain; bank logo. Windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (De La Rue). 138 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 50.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 142 x 70 mm
Purple, green, and blue. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; Rama-Janaki temple of Janakpur; obverse of coin. Back: English and Nepali text; male thar; mountains; bank logo. Windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (Perum Purari). 142 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 100.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 146 x 70 mm
Green and lilac. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; idol of Tara; Mount Nuptse, Mount Everest, and Mount Lhotse; temple Nyatapole of Bhaktpur; wood carvings from temple of Taleju in Kathmandu; clouds. Back: English and Nepali text; one-horned rhinoceros in grassy plain; bank logo. 2.5-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (India Security Press). 146 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 500.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 160 x 70 mm
Brown and violet. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; god Indra; Mount Amadablam and Thyangboche monastery; wood carvings; clouds. Back: English and Nepali text; bank logo; two tigers drinking melted snow. 4-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (Oberthur Technologies). 160 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 1,000.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 172 x 70 mm
Blue, brown, and green. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; goddess Bhagwati; Swayambhunath stupa and temple of goddess Harati; obverse of coin. Back: English and Nepali text; elephant; bank logo. 4-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: (Perum Purari). 172 x 70 mm. Paper.
2007 – 2008 Issues
In 2007, the NRB began issuing new notes without King Gyanendra’s name, image, and royal symbols. These two notes still have the king’s portrait as watermark because the paper was ordered from an Indonesian manufacturer before April 2006 when the king’s status was reduced to that of a ceremonial monarch, a position he held until 28 May 2008, when Nepal became a federal republic. Bank officials chose to obscure the king’s image by printing the national flower over the watermark.
Description: 500.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 160 x 70 mm
Brown and violet. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; god Indra; Mount Amadablam and Thyangboche monastery; wood carvings; clouds; rhododendron. Back: English and Nepali text; rhododendron; bank logo; two tigers drinking melted snow. 4-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: King Gyanendra. Printer: (Perum Purari). 160 x 70 mm. Paper.
Description: 1,000.00 NPR – Nepalese Rupee Size: 172 x 70 mm
Blue, brown, and green. Front: Nepali text; Mount Everest; goddess Bhagwati; Swayambhunath stupa and temple of goddess Harati; obverse of coin; rhododendron. Back: English and Nepali text; rhododendron; elephant; bank logo. 4-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: King Gyanendra. Printer: (Perum Purari). 172 x 70 mm. Paper.
Government of Nepal
The responsibility of issuing banknotes was initially held by His Majesty’s Government, then called the Government of Nepal (GOV), through the “Sadar Muluki Khana” (Central Treasury) from September 1945 to February 1960, when this responsibility was handed over to the Nepal Rastra Bank.
Extras
• According to an article on Ecns.cn dated 14 February 2017, the China Bank Note Printing & Minting Corporation, China has printed and delivered to the Nepal Rastra Bank 84 million 1,000-rupee notes, the first of three deliveries totalling 200 million notes. Although changes to this denomination had been planned, expediency demanded printing the notes without revision. The total order cost US$3.76 million, less than half the cost paid to the undisclosed printer of the immediately preceding issues.
• According to an article on myRepública dated 14 February 2017, the government has concluded it would be more beneficial to print security documents and banknotes internally, and the Department of Printing will submit the proposed bill after necessary amendments at the Ministry of Information and Communications.
Nepalese Numbers
Staple Holes
Be advised that some notes typically have two staple holes along the left border, even in uncirculated condition.