Currency exhibition showcasing UNESCO sites from G20 nations opens in India

From a 100-dollar bill depicting the Independence Hall in Philadelphia to a 20-lira note portraying the ancient city of Ephesus in Turkiye, currencies bearing images of UNESCO heritage sites in G20 member nations, have been displayed here as part of a unique exhibition that opened on Friday.

Inaugurating the exhibition 'Banking on World Heritage', Union Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi said the event aptly symbolises the G20 theme under India's presidency -- 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' or 'One Earth. One Family. One Future'.

Citing that the G20 countries host about 70 per cent of declared UNESCO heritage sites of the world, Lekhi said this exhibition underlines the collective effort of these countries to preserve and conserve cultural heritage, and to connect the current generation to the greatness of their past, she said.

The exhibition showcases about 30 currency notes picturing the UNESCO heritage sites from G20 member nations, comprising 19 countries and the European Union.

From the US, a 100-dollar bill has been showcased, depicting the 18th century Independence Hall in Philadelphia, one of the most historic buildings in that country topped with a clocktower, where America's founding fathers debated and adopted the Constitution.

Turkiye has been represented with an image of a 20-lira note portraying the ancient city of Ephesus, rich with old temples, baths, gymnasium, agora and other sites.

Borobudur temple, the world's largest Buddhist temple completed in the 9th century was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List in 1991. It sits on the 10,000 Rupiah note of Indonesia, displayed as part of the exhibition.

From India, a Rs 500 note carrying the image of the Mughal-era Red Fort in Delhi, while a Rs 20 note circulated in the 1980s depicting the Konark Temple of Odisha and a Rs 20 note circulated in 2019 depicting the Ellora Caves of Maharashtra have also been exhibited.

Other notes on display from India are an old Rs 100 note carrying the image of Khangchenszonga peak in the Himalayas, and a new Rs 100 note, circulated in 2018, depicting Gujarat's Rani ki Vav.

Speaking to reporters, Lekhi said the exhibition offers a different perspective highlighting the "eternal value" behind a note.

"A currency is a means of transaction, but life is beyond the transaction. It is not the monetary value printed on a note but the eternal value depicted on it. In India, eternal value is given more importance compared to monetary valuation," the Union minister added.

The exhibition hosted by the Ministry of Culture at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), which will run till July 9, has been curated by Rukmini Dahanukar, an independent researcher.

"The purpose of the exhibition is to encourage people to appreciate paper currency in the age of digital transactions and the cultural sites they depict, besides carrying monetary value," Dahanukar told PTI.

At a panel discussion organised on the sidelines of the exhibition, former managing director of Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Ltd, Sudhakar Kaza, said Indian currency notes being designed and printed with indigenous paper and ink was a matter of pride for the country.

Dahanukar said that this exhibition will educate the millennials and youngsters about their culture and heritage through banknotes, adding that Indian banknotes have 17 languages of India, which reflects inclusivity and unity in diversity.