The Monetary System

There were several monetary systems in South Asia but the basic unit is the anna (literally, "food"):

1 rupee = 16 annas
1 anna = 4 paisa or pice
1 paisa = 3 pai or pie.

During the nineteenth century, the basic letter rate was 1/2 anna, postal cards 1/4 anna and registration 2, 3 and later 4 annas. Of course, these rates went up and not uniformly in different states


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