Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal requested PM Modi to print the images of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi along with image of Mahatma Gandhi on currency notes suggesting that it would help the country’s economy to be back on track. He also cited the example of Indonesia to say that even though it is a Muslim country with less than 2% Hindus and more than 85% Muslims, it had images of Lord Ganesh on its currency notes. In this context, several people shared the image of currency note with the image of Lord Ganesh with a claim that it is Indonesian Currency note of denomination 20,000 Indonesian Rupiah (IDR). Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image of Indonesian currency note carrying the image of Hindu God Ganesha.
Fact: Indonesian currency note of value 20,000 Rupiah (IDR) which carries the image of Lord Ganesha was introduced in 1998 but was later withdrawn in 2008 as a part of regular upgrades in security features of the currency notes. The currency notes that are currently in circulation in Indonesia do not contain the image of Ganesha. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
First, we searched the details of this currency note on Numismatics website Numista. According to Numista, this Indonesian Currency note of value 20,000 Rupiah (IDR) contains the images of Indonesian Independence Activist and former Education Minister Ki Hadjar Dewantara and Lord Ganesha on one side and image of children in classroom on other side of the note.
According to a working paper by Bank Indonesia, these notes were issued in the year 1998 but were withdrawn in the 2008 along with three other bank notes as a part of regular upgrades in security features . A press release by Bank Indonesia regarding this issue can be seen here.
However, Government set a deadline of 10 years i.e., until 31 December 2018 to exchange these notes with new ones. Bank Indonesia, in a press release on 03 December 2018, reminded the people to exchange these withdrawn notes before 31 December 2018. The images of 20,000 Rupiah notes that are currently in circulation in Indonesia can be seen here, here and here. None of the currency notes that are in circulation in Indonesia currently do not contain the image of Ganesha.
To sum it up, Indonesia currency note carrying the image of Ganesha was withdrawn in 2008.
