TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Rupiah banknotes from its inception have a wide array of visual features embedded to it, apart from showcasing unique Indonesian culture, the most notable feature is the image of various national heroes printed on it.

Referring to the latest banknote versions issued in 2016, Bank Indonesia put out 7 types of ‘paper money’ from the smallest valuation of Rp1,000 up to the highest that is the Rp100,000 banknote. Tempo explains the figures that are printed on the money.

Citing the official Bank Indonesia website, the Rp1,000 banknote, that is mostly nuanced in green, has an image of an Aceh female hero Tjut Meutia on one side and another side showing a dancer dancing the Tifa dance from Papua.

The Rp2,000 note shows an image of Mohammad Hoesni Thamrin, who is a known Dutch-descent Betawi figure while the back part shows an image of a female Tari Piring dancer which is a dance that originates from West Sumatra.

Rp5,000 is a note dominated by the color brown that shows the image of Dr. K.H. Idham Chalid who is a leader and political teacher for the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) community. While the opposite side showcases an image of a Tari Gambyong dancer which originates from Surakarta, Central Java. The dance is a ritual to summon the god and goddess of agricultural lands that was believed to smoothen harvest season. It also showcases Mount Bromo.

Moreover, the Rp10,000 note has an image of Frans Kaisepo, who is known as the person popularizing the term IRIAN or ‘join the Republic of Indonesia Anti-Netherlands’ with a Pakarena dancer that originates from South Sulawesi in its opposite side.

The Rp20,000 Rupiah banknote is dominated by green nuances showing an image of Gerungan Saul Samuel Jacob Ratulangi, or better known as Sam Ratulangi. He is a politician, author, and Ph.D from North Sulawesi. The opposite side has an image of a Gong Dancer, which originates from East Kalimantan.

The Rp50,000 banknote, with a majority blue color scheme, has an image of Djuanda Kartawidjaja, who is known as the founder of the archipelago state concept known as Djuanda Declaration. Its opposite side has a Balinese Legong dancer and has Komodo National Park as an added image.

Lastly, the largest valued Rupiah banknote is the Rp100,000 that has the image of Indonesia’s founding fathers Soekarno-Hatta with a Betawi dance routine Tari Topeng in its opposite side along with an image of Raja Ampat located in Papua.

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GERIN RIO PRANATA