Indian anna

An 1835 quarter ānā.

Holed quarter ānās from 1943 and 45

An Anna was a currency unit formerly used in India and Pakistan, equal to 1/16 rupee. It was subdivided into 4 Paise or 12 Pies (thus there were 64 paise in a rupee and 192 pies). The term belonged to the Muslim monetary system. The ānā was demonetised as a currency unit when India decimalised its currency in 1957, followed by Pakistan in 1961. It was replaced by the 5-paise coin, which was itself discontinued in 1994 and demonetised in 2011. Even today, though, a 50 paise coin is sometimes colloquially referred to as 8 ānās and a 25-paise coin as 4 ānās.

There was a coin of one ānā, and also half-ānās of copper and two-ānā pieces of silver. The term ānā is frequently used to express a fraction of 1/16. Additionally, ānā denominated postage stamps used during the British Indian period.

See also

• Indian coinage
• British Indian coins
• History of the rupee