The currency of Bangladesh is the Bangladeshi taka. The official symbol for the Bangladeshi taka is BDT, which stands for Bangladesh Dolar (৳). The symbol was used in all old Bengali banknotes, and is still used today on all Indian rupee notes.The name "taka" comes from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh (formerly known as East Pakistan). Before 1952, when East Pakistan gained independence from West Pakistan and became an independent country, it had been known as Dacca.Before 1971, when India became independent from Britain, there were two currencies in use in India: the Indian rupee (Rs) and the British pound sterling (Pound). When Bangladesh gained its independence from Pakistan in 1971 and joined India as one country again, it adopted the Indian rupee as its currency. The name "taka" was never used before; it was only introduced in 1973 when Bangladesh adopted a new currency to improve its international image after joining India.