Old Indian Money Converter: Rupees, Annas, Pice and Pies to Decimal
Before 1 April 1957, the Indian rupee was not decimal. One rupee was divided into 16 annas, each anna into 4 pice (paise) and each pice into 3 pies, so 1 rupee = 16 annas = 64 pice = 192 pies. In decimal terms, 1 anna = 6.25 paise and 1 pie = about 0.52 paise. Prices were written as rupees-annas-pies, so “Rs 14-12-0” means 14 rupees, 12 annas and no pies, or Rs 14.75.
Old Indian prices, salaries, land revenues and legends are full of annas and pies: the four-anna coin (chavanni), the eight-anna coin (athanni), and the saying solah aane sach, “sixteen annas true”, meaning completely true. This converter turns those amounts into decimal rupees and back, and also handles the Mughal copper dam.
Old Indian Money Converter
Enter an old amount in rupees, annas, pice and pies, type it the traditional way (14-12-0), or convert a decimal rupee amount back to annas.
Or type a traditional amount (rupees-annas-pies) or a decimal rupee value:
Units: 1 rupee = 16 annas = 64 pice = 192 pies (system used 1835-1957). Decimal coinage began on 1 April 1957 (100 naye paise = 1 rupee). Mughal dam: 40 dams = 1 rupee, the standard rate in Mughal accounts. These are face-value conversions, not adjusted for inflation.
How the Old Indian Rupee Was Divided
From the East India Company’s uniform coinage of 1835 until decimalisation in 1957, the rupee used a non-decimal system:
| Unit | Equals | Pies | Decimal rupee | Decimal paise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 rupee | 16 annas | 192 | 1.00 | 100 |
| 1 anna | 4 pice | 12 | 0.0625 | 6.25 |
| 1 pice (paisa) | 3 pies | 3 | 0.015625 | 1.5625 |
| 1 pie | 1/3 pice | 1 | 0.0052 | 0.52 |
| 1 Mughal dam | 1/40 rupee | 4.8 | 0.025 | 2.5 |
Annas to Rupees and Paise: Quick Reference
| Old amount | Popular name | Decimal rupees | Paise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 anna | ikanni | 0.0625 | 6.25 |
| 2 annas | duanni | 0.125 | 12.5 |
| 4 annas | chavanni (quarter rupee) | 0.25 | 25 |
| 6 annas | 0.375 | 37.5 | |
| 8 annas | athanni (half rupee) | 0.50 | 50 |
| 12 annas | barah aane (three-quarters) | 0.75 | 75 |
| 16 annas | one rupee | 1.00 | 100 |
The names chavanni (four annas) and athanni (eight annas) survived decimalisation and were used for the 25-paise and 50-paise coins.
How to Read “Rs 14-12-0”
Old Indian accounts, receipts and gazetteers wrote money as three numbers separated by dashes: rupees-annas-pies. The middle number runs from 0 to 15 and the last from 0 to 11, because 12 pies make one anna.
- Rs 14-12-0 = 14 rupees + 12 annas = Rs 14.75. This is the sum traditionally said to have paid for Aurangzeb’s burial, from money he earned sewing caps (read the history).
- Rs 0-8-0 = 8 annas = 50 paise.
- Rs 2-4-6 = 2 rupees + 4 annas + 6 pies = Rs 2.28125.
Decimalisation: From Annas to Naye Paise
Parliament amended the Indian Coinage Act in September 1955, and decimal coinage came into force on 1 April 1957. The rupee was divided into 100 naye paise (“new paise”) to distinguish them from the old pice. The word naya was dropped on 1 June 1964, leaving today’s paisa. Pies had already been demonetised in 1947, and annas and pice went out of use after 1957.
Because one anna equals 6.25 paise, old prices rarely convert to round decimal sums. That is why amounts such as “six annas” do not match any modern coin.
Before the Rupee-Anna System: The Mughal Dam
The copper dam was introduced by Sher Shah Suri (r. 1540-1545) alongside his silver rupee, and the Mughals kept it. In Mughal revenue and salary accounts, a rupee was reckoned at 40 dams, which is why Mughal land revenue (jama) and official ranks are often stated in dams. The market rate between copper and silver could drift from this standard.
Old Money Is Not Today’s Money
This converter changes units, not purchasing power. Rs 14.75 in 1707 bought far more than Rs 14.75 today, but there is no reliable single price index stretching back to the Mughal period, so HypeHive does not give inflation-adjusted figures. Treat any website that claims an exact “today’s value” for 17th- or 18th-century sums with caution.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many annas are in one rupee?
Sixteen. One rupee = 16 annas = 64 pice = 192 pies.
What is one anna in paise?
6.25 paise. One anna was one-sixteenth of a rupee, and a rupee is 100 paise.
How many pies made a rupee?
192 pies made one rupee, and 12 pies made one anna.
What does “solah aane sach” mean?
“Sixteen annas true”: completely true, because sixteen annas made a full rupee.
When did India switch to decimal currency?
On 1 April 1957, under the Indian Coinage (Amendment) Act passed in 1955. The new units were called naye paise until 1 June 1964.
How many dams were in a rupee?
Forty, the standard rate used in Mughal accounts.
Can this tool tell me what an old amount is worth today?
No. It converts units at face value. Historical purchasing power depends on prices, wages and region, and cannot be reduced to a single multiplier.
Sources and Further Reading
- Reserve Bank of India, “Coinage of Republic India”.
- Wikipedia, “Indian paisa” and “Dam (Indian coin)”.
- Abu’l-Fazl, Ain-i-Akbari, Vol. 1, trans. H. Blochmann, on Mughal coinage.
Last reviewed October 2026. Related tools: Historical Calendar Converter ยท All history tools. Spotted an error? Tell us.