Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 25 Paise 1988-2002, KM# 54, India, Republic
  • 25 Paise 1988-2002, KM# 54, India, Republic
Obverse

Depicts the State Emblem of India with Satyameva Jayate below surrounded by the country name and value.

The State Emblem of India is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath, preserved in the Sarnath Museum near Varanasi, India. A representation of Lion Capital of Ashoka was officially adopted on 26 January 1950, the day that India became a republic.

The actual Sarnath capital features four Asiatic lions standing back to back, symbolizing power, courage, confidence and pride, mounted on a circular base. At the bottom is a horse and a bull, and at its centre is a wheel (Dharma Chakra). The abacus is girded with a frieze of sculptures in high relief of The Lion of the North, The Horse of the West, The Bull of the South and The Elephant of the East, separated by intervening wheels, over a lotus in full bloom, exemplifying the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration.

"Satyameva Jayate" (Sanskrit: सत्यमेव जयते satyam-eva jayate; lit. "Truth alone triumphs.") is a part of a mantra from the ancient Indian scripture Mundaka Upanishad. Following the independence of India, it was adopted as the national motto. It is inscribed in script at the base of the Lion Capital of Ashoka and forms an integral part of the national emblem. The emblem and the words "Satyameva Jayate" are inscribed on one side of all Indian currency.

भारत INDIA
सत्यमेव जयते
पैसे 25 PAISE

Reverse

Indian rhinoceros facing left. Date and mintmark (if any) above.

A rhinoceros (meaning "nose horn"), often abbreviated to rhino, are some of the largest remaining megafauna. The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), also called the greater one-horned rhinoceros and great Indian rhinoceros, is a rhinoceros native to the Indian subcontinent.

The Indian rhinoceros has a thick grey-brown skin with pinkish skin folds and a black horn. Its upper legs and shoulders are covered in wart-like bumps. Males have huge neck folds. Its skull is heavy with a basal length above 60 cm (24 in) and an occiput above 19 cm (7.5 in). Its nasal horn is slightly back-curved with a base of about 18.5 cm (7.3 in) by 12 cm (4.7 in) that rapidly narrows until a smooth, even stem part begins about 55 mm (2.2 in) above base. The rhino's single horn is present in both males and females, but not on newborn young. The black horn is pure keratin, like human fingernails, and starts to show after about six years.

Among terrestrial land mammals native to Asia, the Indian rhinoceros is second in size only to the Asian elephant. It is also the second-largest living rhinoceros, behind only the white rhinoceros. Males have a head and body length of 368–380 cm (12.07–12.47 ft) with a shoulder height of 170–186 cm (5.58–6.10 ft), while females have a head and body length of 310–340 cm (10.2–11.2 ft) and a shoulder height of 148–173 cm (4.86–5.68 ft). The male, averaging about 2,200 kg (4,850 lb) is heavier than the female, at an average of about 1,600 kg (3,530 lb).

1989

Edge
Characteristics
Material Stainless Steel
Weight 2.83 g
Diameter 19 mm
Thickness 1.55 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mints
Calcutta Mint (no mintmark)
Hyderabad Mint (★)
Mumbai Mint (♦)
Noida Mint (●)
Ottawa Mint

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