Jammu & Kasmir Currency Notes

Collector will be spoilt... there and after! 

By Nilaish

Introduction:
 Hari Singh had ascended the throne of Kashmir in 1925 and was the reigning monarch at the conclusion of British rule in the subcontinent in 1947. One of the conditions of the partition of India imposed by Britain was that the rulers of princely states would have the right to opt for either Pakistan or India or remain independent. In 1947, Kashmir's population was 77% Muslim and it shared a boundary with both Dominion of Pakistan and Union of India. On 20 October 1947, tribesmen backed by Pakistan invaded Kashmir. The Maharaja initially fought back but appealed for assistance to the Governor-General Louis Mountbatten, who agreed on the condition that the ruler accede to India. On 25 October 1947 Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession on 26 October 1947 and it was accepted on 27 October 1947 by the Governor General of India. Once the Instrument of Accession was signed, Indian soldiers entered Kashmir with orders to evict the raiders, but they were not able to expel everyone from the state by the time the harsh winter started. India took the matter to the United Nations. The UN resolution asked both India and Pakistan to vacate the areas they had occupied and hold a referendum under UN observation. The holding of this plebiscite, which India initially supported, was dismissed by India because the 1952 elected Constituent assembly of Jammu and Kashmir voted in favour of confirming the Kashmir region's accession to India. The United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) was deployed to supervise the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. UNMOGIP's functions were to investigate complaints of ceasefire violations and submit findings to each party and to the U.N. secretary-general. Under the terms of the ceasefire, it was decided that both armies would withdraw and a plebiscite would be held in Kashmir to give Kashmiris the right to self-determination. The primary argument for the continuing debate over the ownership of Kashmir is that India did not hold the promised plebiscite. In fact, neither side has adhered to the U.N. resolution of 13 August 1948; while India chose not to hold the plebiscite; Pakistan failed to withdraw its troops from Kashmir as was required under the resolution.  

Currency Notes: 

Colonel Farzand-i-Dilband Rasikh-ul-Itikad Daulat-i-Inglishia Raja-i-Rajgan Maharaja Sir RANBIR SINGH Rajendra Bahadur (1879-1948)

On the decline of the Mughal Empire, Kashmir was annexed by the Afghans and later in 1819 by the Sikhs and in 1845 by the British. In 1846, Gulab Singh was confirmed the Feudatory Chief of Jammu & Kashmir by the British. In 1947, the Maharaja opted to Merge with the then Dominion of India. Paper Money was issued sometime in 1877 in the  reign of Maharaja Ranbir Singh on watermarked paper. The notes were not very popular and were in circulation for a very short period. The notes carried the 'Sun' motif of the Dogra family. 

 Unifaced Series:  ‘Shrikar’ written in bold letters in the centre. Below it, the seal of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, which reads ‘Muhr Shrikar Qilimrau Jammun 1934’. The panels in corners bear signatures, which in all probability belong to the State Treasury Officials. Besides the seal the date is mentioned twice in months of the Hindu calendar and Vikram Samvat, inscribed in Urdu. Most of the notes bear the year 1934 VS, that corresponds to 1877-1878 AD. However, presence of other dates cannot be ruled out. All notes are of the same size and same design but the denominations are only different in each plate, so are on the notes. 

 

One Rupee

 

Two Rupees

 

Five Rupees 

 

Ten Rupees 

 

Fifty Rupees 

 

100 Rupees 

Comment of Market Value: 

As far as noted and known, 50 Rupees and 100 Rupees remain in the RBI Monetary Museum, Mumbai. All notes have watermark paper and were printed on density 25 grammes per sq. m. paper. The value can't be ascertained excatly. As per the demand, current value lies between: Rs. 500,000 per note. 

References 

1. Razack, Rezwan; Jhunjhunwalla, Kishore; (2012) ‘The revised standard reference guide to Indian Paper Money’, Currencies & Coins: Mumbai, 1st edn.

2. Available from [online] < http://4dw.net/royalark/> [Accessed 3 Feb. 2014]. 

3. "Kashmir – Pakistan Mission to UN". Pakun.org. Retrieved 16 April 2013. 

4. "OHCHR calls for restraint in Indian-administered Kashmir".United Nations. 27 August 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2011. 

5. "No militant returned from Pakistan occupied Kashmir officially". Ibnlive.in.com. Retrieved 16 April 2013. 

6. "Pakistan's Manipulation of the status of Gilgit- Baltistan | New Europe". Neurope.eu. 24 March 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013. 

7. "China makes its presence felt in Pak occupied Kashmir". Sunday-guardian.com. Retrieved 16 April 2013.

8. "Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on the Periphery | Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses". Idsa.in. Retrieved 16 April 2013. 

9. Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on the Periphery. Priyanka Singh. Strategic Analysis. Vol. 37, Iss. 1, 2013

10. Sharma, Vivek. "Kashmir Ki Kahani". Aajkiawaaz. Arpana Singh Parashar. Retrieved 12 August 2013. 

11. "Quick guide: Kashmir dispute". BBC News. 29 June 2006. Retrieved 14 June 2009. 

12. Stein, Burton. 1998. A History of India. Oxford University Press. 432 pages. ISBN 0-19-565446-3. Page 368