Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 20 Paise 1969, KM# 42, India, Republic, 100th Anniversary of Birth of Mahatma Gandhi
  • 20 Paise 1969, KM# 42, India, Republic, 100th Anniversary of Birth of Mahatma Gandhi
Obverse

Depicts the State Emblem of India surrounded by the country name (above) and denomination below. Mintmark (if any) under the denomination.

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 emblem appears on all Indian currency.

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.

In the emblem finally adopted, only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the abacus, with a bull on the right and a galloping horse on the left, and outlines of Dharma Chakras on the extreme right and left.

भारत INDIA
पैसे 20 PAISE

Reverse

Depicts a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi, his name above, dates of his life below.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869–1948) was the preeminent leader of the Indian independence movement in British-ruled India. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahatma (Sanskrit: "high-souled", "venerable")—applied to him first in 1914 in South Africa—is now used worldwide. In India, he is also called Bapu (Gujarati: endearment for "father") and Gandhiji. He is unofficially called the Father of the Nation. His birthday, 2 October, is commemorated as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Nonviolence.

महात्मा गांधी ★ MAHATMA GANDHI
· 1869-1948 ·

Edge
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Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Circulating)
Material Aluminium Bronze
Weight 4.5 g
Diameter 22 mm
Thickness 1.6 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Alt # KM# 42.1, KM# 42.2, KM# 42.3
Mints
Calcutta Mint (no mintmark)
Hyderabad Mint (★)
Mumbai Mint (B)
Mumbai Mint (♦)

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