Nepal’s New Rs 100 Note Shows India's Kalapani, Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura Regions

Nepal has released new Rs 100 currency notes carrying a map that includes the Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura regions, areas that India says fall within its territory. The notes entered circulation on Thursday.

The Nepal Rastra Bank said the notes follow a government decision taken in 2020, when the administration led by K P Sharma Oli approved a revised political map showing the three areas as part of Nepal, later endorsed by Parliament. India opposed the move at the time, calling it a unilateral step and saying the map represented an artificial expansion of territorial claims.

The central bank said the map already appeared on earlier Rs 100 notes and has been updated according to the government’s direction. An NRB spokesperson said that among various denominations — Rs 10, Rs 50, Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 — only the Rs 100 note carries the map.

The new note bears the signature of former governor Maha Prasad Adhikari, with the issuance date marked as 2081 BS, equivalent to 2024.

The note features Mt Everest on the left side and a watermark of the national flower, the rhododendron, on the right. A faint green map of Nepal appears in the background, with the Ashoka Pillar printed beside it, carrying the text, “Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha.” The back of the note shows a horned rhino. It also includes a security thread and an embossed black dot to help visually impaired users identify it.

Nepal shares a border of more than 1,850 km with five Indian states — Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

(With inputs from PTI.)