2018 - Sri Lanka
1000 Rupee note
70th Independence
Celebrating Diversity

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) issued, for circulation, a commemorative currency note for the 70th Anniversary of Independence of Sri Lanka with the theme "Celebrating Diversity" dated 2018-02-04.
images/2018_ind70_1000r_uvf.jpg&/cbsl/2010lkdpd/images/2010_1000r_wm_s.jpg
Click image to see Note Security under UltraViolet illumination and watermark sheet
/cbsl/2010lkdpd/images/201x_lkdpd_1000r_uvb.jpg
The commemorative note is the same as the regular series Rs 1000 note except for the replacement of the butterfly on lower left with the Celebrating Diversity logo and the illustration at center.

Front: Landscape
An artist's impression of a Buddhist Vihara, Hindu Kovil, Christian Church and Muslim Mosque, are depicted at the center of the note replacing the image of Ramboda Tunnel in the current circulating Rs. 1000 currency note. Replacing the butterfly on on lower left corner a logo with a Sinhala boy and a Muslim boy with Topi(cap), with a burgher girl with brown hair to left and a Thamil girl with darker complexion and Bindi (3rd eye) on right. 70th Independence Celebration in two arcs in upper right and CELEBRATING DIVERSITY in two arcs at bottom.
Illustrated the Sri Lanka bird Hanging Parrot to the right.
Sri Lankan Lion with sword facing left at upper right.
Numeric 1000 at upper left and lower right. At bottom center the value රුපියල් දාහයි in Sinhala, ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் in Thamil and ONE THOUSAND RUPEES in English of decreasing font size.
ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ බැංකුව in Sinhala at Top center, and in smaller text இலங்கை மத்திய வங்கி in Thamil and CENTRAL BANK OF SRI LANKA in English on next line.
Legality Legend in 3 lines

ශ්‍රී ලංකාණ්ඩුව වෙනුවෙන් නිකුත් කරන ලද මේ
මුදල් නෝට්ටුව ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ඇතුළත ඕනෑම මුදල් ගණනක්
ගෙවිම සඳහා නිතියෙන් වලංගුය
Facsimile signatures above මුදල් ඈමති (Finance Minister) Mangala Samaraweera, and the මහ බැංකුවේ අධිපති (Central Bank Governor) I. Coomaraswamy,
with date 2018-02-04 left.
Size of digits in serial number increase in size. Horizontal Black Serial number on upper left and vertical Red Serial number on right.
Security Thread Starchrome with 2.5 mm width, which changes colour from red to green with the letters CBSL RS1000.
Back: Portrait
A drawing of Malpadaya dancer and a Dawul Bera drummer. The Rathnaprasadaya guard stone is on the upper right, on a vertical Band with a stylized floral motif, Dvithva Liya Vela.
A map of Sri Lanka appears in the background centered to the left.
Numeric 1000 at upper left and lower right. රුපියල් දාහයි in Sinhala, ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் in Thamil, and ONE THOUSAND RUPEES in English, in 3 lines, of decreasing font size, at lower left.
ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ බැංකුව in Sinhala, இலங்கை மத்திய வங்கி in Thamil and CENTRAL BANK OF SRI LANKA in English, in 3 lines, of decreasing font size at center upper left.
Printer Thomas De la Rue, Sri Lanka, in tiny text DE LA RUE in bottom right.
Watermark: Cornerstone plus on left same image of Parrot flipped to right, darker than background with vertical 1000 lighter than background to it's right.
UV Printing:
Front: Minimal. Highlighted Green square with numeric 1000 in large Font, lower right of center . Serial number in Green on left, Orange on right
Back: Central Horizontal Band of Florescence with Limited highlight of Drummer and Dancer.
Latent image: Right of the top left numeric on front, the Numeric value 1000 written with horizontal lines on a vertical lines background, both slightly tilted clockwise, as seen on this 1200 dpi scan on right. Image also show microprinting array of text CBSL.
Replacement Notes See details with images for series in *-Notes
Predominant Color : Green  |  Size : 148 x 67 mm
Serial Prefix : S70  |  Replacement Prefix: Z70/1
Floresent Fiber : Yellow & Red |  Braile : Five Dots
Mintage : 5,000,000  |  Folders : 5,000
Range of Serial # : S70/1 000001 - S70/5 1000000

On 2018 January 30th a note was presented by the Governor of CBSL, Indrajit Coomaraswamy to the Minister of Finance, Mangala Samaraweera. Photo of presentation on left with the two signatories shows a note which has been slabbed in a block of acrylic. Slabbed Serial #30 was put on display at the CBSL Museum indicating that at least 30 were slabbed and a rare collectible if one could be traced.

The Green folder has Commemorative issue 2018-02-04 in 2 lines on upper left of Front Cover and the logo on the right with Rs 1000 below. A description of Note in English on inside front cover and in Sinhala and Thamil in inside back cover. Contact details for CBSL on backcover. The central image of currency note in faint background across front and back covers.

The identification of the four religious sites in Sri Lanka, are unfortunately not given even in folder. According to the Artist Mr Kelum Gunasekera who designed the note: The Sulugal Dambulu Purana Rajamaha Vihara at Viharahalmillewa near Kebithigollewa, the Vallipuram Alvar Vishnu Kovil is the oldest in Jaffna, the Madu Church in Mannar is a sacred site, which was a Pattini Devala from the Anuradhapura period, and Sainthamaruthu Jummah Mosque, is in Kalmunai.

Although the press release said the folders will be sold by the CBSL Economic History Museum, anticipating a rush, they were sold by the cash counter @CBSL in the first week from February 6th. Each person is queue was sold only one folder, issuing a receipt with name and national identity number. A maximum of 2 currency notes were also issued. For unknown reasons on the first day of issue the serial numbers in folders started from 013001 while the circulation currency issued started from lower 009001.

The folder printed by PrintCare who have done the previous folders had some issues. Such a folder is most useful is to get a low serial number and a perfectly flat currency note in uncirculated condition. When notes are packed, the tight band that is put around each 100 itself causes the note to fold and in numismatic terms called AU (Almost Uncirculated). The note in folder seemed to have been badly handled and had many bumps. Also the currency note 148 x 67 mm, has been placed under a slightly narrower and taller window of 143 x 70 mm. The size 143 x 67 mm has also been printed below the window in Error This is size is for Rs 500, the Rs 1000 being 5 mm wider. I wish CBSL would seek Numismatic advice to avoid these issues.

See also

Read my article Celebrating diversity: Modified Rs. 1000 note for Independence in 2018 February 11th, Sunday Times Plus Section. Which has been partly copied by Valvettithurai.org Image of note as printed in SundayTimes.

On 2018 April 28th I had an opportunity to visit Halmillewa Sulugal Dambulu Viharaya, an image of which appearson this Note. It is built on the side of a cave with Brahmi letters stating it was a gift to the Sangha. The associated Devale, has a rare wooden statue of Vishnu estimated to be about a 1000 years old. This attracts devotes from all parts of Lanka.Particularly those who are pregnant come to make vows and return three months after giving birth. The 87-year-old monk Ven. Dhamma Rakitha in charge of this Vihara and 15 others in the region, did not know that a Sri Lanka currency note had been issued with an image of his Vihara, almost three months earlier. He was thrilled to see a note, which I donated in the Central Bank folder and the page from the Sunday Times with my article of 2018 Feb 11.

A media report mearly Ten years ago in 2012 September said that CBSL has given a written undertaking to include the words "this currency note issued on behalf the Government of Sri Lanka is valid for any financial transaction within Sri Lanka" in the Tamil and English language and provide equal prominence to all three languages when issuing currency notes in future. This has not yet been implemented although this note trying to celebrate diversity was probably the correct note with which to start. See Equality of Languages to be Enforced on Currency Notes.

In India where the language panel of currency note displays the denomination of the note in 15 of the 22 official languages of India, the legality is in only in English and Hindi. Sri Lanka should adopt same and put legality in link language of English, like it does in this case the text in logo.

For collected details of the images on this Banknote see NotesCollector.