Notes of the French Territories in India

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The French East India Company came into India after the British, but was soon able to establish a foothold in the Southern parts of the country. As a result of the war between England and France in the second half of 18^th century A.D., the French lost most of their territories in India except a few possessions. These included Mahe (on the west coast in Kerala), Karaikkal, Pondicherry (in Tamil Nadu), Yauaon (in Andhra Pradesh) and Chandernagore (in Bengal). They were called as "Etablissements Francaises dans L'inde", i.e. French establishments in India. All of these were assimilated in India in the 1950s.

The issue of paper money for the French settlements was entrusted to the Bank Indochine, which issued them under specific decrees. These decrees are denoted on the notes. The earliest known issue is of 50 Roupies issued in 1898. The notes were similar in design to the contemporary notes issued in French Indochina, except for the denomination. The early issues are of two denominations namely 10 and 50 Rps. Notes of 1 Roupie were issued immediately after WWI. Notes of 5 Roupies were introduced in 1937. The new design of 50 Roupies issued simultaneously shows the bust of Mousieur Dupleix, the founder of the French Empire in India.

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