page_title: Sri Lankan rupee
section_title: Banknotes
hierarchical_section_title: Sri Lankan rupee / Banknotes
caption_attribution_description: English: Government of Ceylon, 5 Rupees (1929)
context_page_description: The rupee is the currency of Sri Lanka, divided into 100 cents. It is issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The abbreviation is generally Rs., but "LKR" is occasionally used to distinguish it from other currencies also called rupee.
context_section_description: The Government of Ceylon introduced its first rupee banknote issue in 1885. A five rupee note (1885–1925)  was followed by a 10 rupee (1894–1926) and 1,000 rupee note (1899 and 1915). A second issue included the one rupee (1917–1939), two rupee (1917–1921), 50 rupee (1914) and 100 rupee (1919) notes. During the 1920s (and in some cases the 1930s) the one rupee (mentioned above), two rupee (1925–39), two types of five rupee (1925–28 and 1929–39), two types of 10 rupee (1927–28 and 1929–39), 50 rupee (1922–39), 100 rupee (1926–39), 500 rupee (1926), and 1,000 rupee (1929) notes were all in circulation. 
  There were two issues in 1941. The first consisted of a one, two, five, ten rupee banknote issued only in 1941. Though issued slightly earlier, a 1,000 rupee note (1938) has been grouped with this issue. The 1941 second issue consisted of one (1941–49), two (1941–49), five (1941–49), ten (1941–46), 50 (1941–45), 100 (1941–45), 1000 (1941), and 10000 rupee (1947) notes. In 1942, fractional banknote issues were introduced. A 25 and 50 cent note (1942) were followed by a second issue of 5 cent (1942), 10 cent (1942–43), 25 cent (1942–49), and 50 cent notes (1942–49). 
  The Central Bank of Ceylon issued one and ten rupee notes (1951), one, two, five, 50, and 100 rupiah notes (1952–54) 
  
  The 1 rupee notes were replaced by coins in 1963.
  From 1977, banknotes were issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. 20 rupee notes were introduced in 1979, followed by 500 and 1000 rupees in 1981, 200 rupees in 1998 and 2,000 rupees in 2006. Sri Lankan banknotes are unusual in that they are printed vertically on the reverse. In 1998, a 200-rupee note was issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of independence (1948–1998). This is the first polymer banknote issued in Sri Lanka, and it was printed by Note Printing Australia. All other denominations are printed by the De la Rue Lanka Currency and Securities Print (Pvt) Ltd, a joint venture of the Government of Sri Lanka and De La Rue, a printing company in the United Kingdom.
  Portraits of former Sri Lankan prime ministers and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa have graced the fronts of Sri Lankan bank notes, while the backs have featured Sri Lankan fauna and flora, Sri Lankan landscapes and industries, and images depicting Sri Lankan culture, history, and achievements.
caption: Government of Ceylon, 5 Rupees (1929)
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