Obverse. Photo © Monetnik.ru
  • 5 Rupees 2014, KM# 431, India, Republic, 100th Anniversary of Birth of Acharya Tulsi
  • 5 Rupees 2014, KM# 431, India, Republic, 100th Anniversary of Birth of Acharya Tulsi
  • 5 Rupees 2014, KM# 431, India, Republic, 100th Anniversary of Birth of Acharya Tulsi, Mumbai mint large (left, thin) and small (right, fat) lion
Description

Acharya Tulsi (1914–1997) was a prominent Jain religious leader. He was the founder of the Anuvrata Movement and the Jain Vishva Bharti Institute, Ladnun and the author of over one hundred books.

In 1949 he launched the Anuvrat Movement (anu = small, vrat=vow, Anuvratas are the limited version of the Mahavratas for the monks), based on the five Jain principles Truth, Nonviolence, Non possession, Non-stealing and Celibacy as applied in their limited version for the lay people. The movement encouraged people to apply the Anuvratas in their personal lives, even when dealing with non-religious aspects of the society. The movement also held that Dharma is not for ensuring happiness in the future lives but also for achieving happiness in the present life.

In 2014 the Reserve Bank of India issued two coins featuring Achrya Tulsi, Rs 5 and Rs 20.

Obverse

Depicts the State Emblem of India with Satyameva Jayate below surrounded by the country name. Denomination below beside the rupee symbol.

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
₹ 5

Reverse

Bust of Acharya Tulsi a Jain Monk who wears a protective covering on his mouth as part of his non violent religion to avoid harming bacteria in water and air. Mintmark (if any) on the bottom.

आचार्य तुलसी जन्म शताब्दी
1914-2013
ACHARYA TULSI BIRTH CENTENARY

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Circulating)
Material Nickel Brass
Weight 6 g
Diameter 23 mm
Thickness 1.9 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mints
Calcutta Mint (no mintmark)
Hyderabad Mint (★)
Mumbai Mint (M)
Mumbai Mint (♦)
Noida Mint (●)

Related coins

Assassination of Indira Gandhi

Cupronickel, 12.6 g, ⌀ 31.1 mm

Cupronickel, 9 g, ⌀ 23 mm
Non-magnetic

100th Anniversary of Birth of Lal Bahadur Shastri

Cupronickel, 9 g, ⌀ 23 mm