The banknotes in circulation: ₹10 to ₹500
Between 2016 and 2019 the RBI replaced its notes with the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series: smaller, brighter, each denomination a different colour with an Indian heritage site on the back. These are the notes you'll meet, and the ones this site tracks.
| Note | Colour | Size | On the back | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹10 | Chocolate brown | 63 × 123 mm | Konark Sun Temple | 2018 |
| ₹20 | Greenish yellow | 63 × 129 mm | Ellora Caves | 2019 |
| ₹50 | Fluorescent blue | 66 × 135 mm | Hampi, the stone chariot | 2017 |
| ₹100 | Lavender | 66 × 142 mm | Rani ki Vav | 2018 |
| ₹200 | Bright yellow | 66 × 146 mm | Sanchi Stupa | 2017 |
| ₹500 | Stone grey | 66 × 150 mm | Red Fort | 2016 |
Every one of them has Gandhi on the front, the RBI seal, the Swachh Bharat logo, and the denomination in Devanagari as well as English. The number panel is at the top left and bottom right of the front, with digits that grow in size from left to right — see how to read the serial number.
Is the ₹2000 note still valid?
The magenta ₹2000 (Mangalyaan on the back) came out in November 2016 and was withdrawn from circulation on 19 May 2023. It is still legal tender — a shop may accept it — but banks stopped exchanging it over the counter in October 2023, and by April 2026 the RBI reported 98.5% of the notes had come back. If you still hold one, the 19 RBI issue offices exchange or deposit them, and India Post will carry them there for you. We don't track ₹2000: the ones left are in drawers, not moving.
₹1, ₹2, ₹5 and the older series
The ₹1 note is issued by the Government of India, not the RBI, and carries the Finance Secretary's signature; it was reintroduced in 2015 in small numbers and rarely turns up in change. ₹2 and ₹5 notes are no longer printed but remain legal tender. The older Mahatma Gandhi Series (2005 designs, larger and paler) still circulates, especially in ₹10 and ₹20, and stays valid. Its serial numbers follow the same shape, so those notes track here too.
Which notes Where's Rupee? tracks
₹10, ₹20, ₹50, ₹100, ₹200 and ₹500 — the notes that actually change hands. Pick the denomination when you enter a serial: the same prefix and number can exist on two different values, so the value is part of the note's identity.
Got one in your pocket? Enter its serial and see where it has been.