Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(W.I.) money.

[1906		Civil & Milit. Gaz. (Lahore) 17 Jan. 7/3: [O]nly a griffin, a tourist or a travelling M. P. would fall into the error of imagining that the gaze’'s thoughts are centred on aught loftier than paisa, bakshish and the like].
1943, 1956		cited in Cassidy & LePage Dict. Jam. Eng. (1980).