Banknote French India 5 Rupees - Specimen - ND (1945)

This banknote is a 5 Rupee note from French India, issued in 1945. It is a specimen.

On the obverse, there is a helmeted woman holding a spear on the left. A number "5", representing the face value, is integrated into an ornamental crown located in the upper right. The legal notice, relating to criminal penalties for counterfeiting, is written in French: "L'ARTICLE DU CODE CRIMINEL PEINE LES TRAVAUX FORCÉS QUI SERONT CONTREFAITS OU FAUX LES BILLETS AUTORISÉS PAR LA LOI". The signatures of the engravers and designers, SÉB. LAURENT and E. DELOCHE SC, are also present. Ernest Deloche is the engraver and Sébastien Laurent the designer of this part of the banknote.

The reverse features a coiffed dancer on the left, as well as four faces of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, a deity associated with compassion. The Bayon Temple, located in Angkor, is depicted on the right. Ernest Deloche also engraved the reverse, based on a drawing by Sébastien Laurent.

This banknote was printed by the Banque de France. It was in circulation in Pondicherry, India, during the period from 1914 to 1945. Its dimensions are 143 millimeters in length by 93 millimeters in width.