500 Rupees 500th Birth Anniversary of Rani Durgavati

Rani Durgavati ruled the Gond kingdom of Gondwana from 1550 until her death in 1564, governing as regent after her husband Dalbir Shah died and her son was still an infant. She held territory across what is now Madhya Pradesh with considerable military effectiveness, defeating Baz Bahadur of Malwa in 1556. Her final battle came against the Mughal forces of Akbar — specifically his general Asaf Khan — at Narrai in June 1564, where she chose death over capture.

The commemorative was issued by the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India under the Ministry of Finance, part of an ongoing series honoring figures underrepresented in national coinage history.