4 Annas Bhopal; PoW Camps

Bhopal state hosted a prisoner-of-war camp during the Second World War, and these fractional notes — denominated in annas rather than rupees — were issued specifically for internal camp use, functioning as a controlled scrip economy that prevented prisoners from accumulating currency usable outside the wire. The anna denominations are among the smallest-value PoW issues recorded from the Indian subcontinent, and the Bhopal series is notably scarcer than equivalent camp currency from larger detention facilities such as those at Dehra Dun or Yol.

Surviving examples frequently show heavy handling consistent with high-frequency small transactions — tea, tobacco, basic sundries.