In 1947, British India and the Princely States merged to form modern India. But the path to having a single currency being used across the length and breadth of the country was complex.

During the 1800s, ~100 princely states minted their own currencies. The sheer number of coins and the constantly fluctuating exchange rates between the British coin and the currencies of the princely states hampered trade and the Empire's monetary interests.

To stop the Princely States from issuing their own coins, the British Crown flexed its political muscle. A prime example occurred in the premier princely state of Bikaner in 1893.

When the 13-year-old ruler Ganga Singh ascended the throne, the Crown established a Council of Regency to oversee the state's administration. This council, comprised of British officers, unilaterally halted local coin minting, and declared British currency as legal tender in Bikaner.

The move to standardize currency across India by eliminating native coins intensified in the first half of the 20th century and paved the way for the single currency of Independent India.