Indic Siyaq number five hundred

It represents five hundred within Indic Siyaq.

In South Asia, the system is also called raqm or rakam; raqm means «account» in Arabic. Its stylized Arabic-script signs add together, with a distinct sign for each decimal order.

Why did accountants use it?

It recorded amounts in specialized accounts.

Across the Islamic Persianate world, Siyaq served as account shorthand: number names were abbreviated into cursive forms outsiders found hard to read. The Indic form’s start in India is difficult to date; it was common under Mughal rule by the 17th century and lasted into the middle of the 20th century. Northern and Deccani forms differed for larger decimal orders. A Bengal revenue manual printed it in 1790; the notation also appears on stamp papers and 1940s Hyderabad currency notes.