1991 - 2006 : 50 Rupee note
Sri Lanka Heritage

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) issued for circulation, 50 Rupee Currency Notes in a series of notes that started in 1991 on theme Sri Lanka Heritage.
images/1994_08_19_lkh_50r_uvf.jpg
images/2004_04_10_lkh_50r_uvf.jpg
images/199x_lkh_50r_uvb.jpg
Click on image to see Note Security under Ultra-Violet illumination
Predominant
Color
:Front - Blue with Orange right of center
:Back - Blue with green and orange regions.
Size: 136 x 68 mm
Front: Landscape
Head of Kandyan dancer on right, Moonstone above decorate in lower center with smaller Guard Stone on left with flower design above with diamond shape on left. Side view of Lotus on bottom left.
Within a decorative border and center, Numeric 50 at upper two and lower right corners. At upper center the value රුපියල් පනහයි in Sinhala. ஐம்பது ரூபாய் in Thamil, and FIFTY RUPEES in English, in Two vertical lines at lower left border.
In Top center in Sinhala, ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ බැංකුව, இலங்கை மத்திய வங்கி in Thamil and Central Bank of Sri Lanka in English in next two lines with decreasing font size.
Next in even smaller font thr Legality Legend in 3 lines
ශ්‍රී ලංකාණ්ඩුව වෙනුවෙන් නිකුත් කරන ලද මේ
මුදල් නෝට්ටුව ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ඇතුළත ඕනෑම මුදල් ගණනක්
ගෙවිම සඳහා නිතියෙන් වලංගුය
Two Facsimile signatures above මුදල් ඈමති, and next මහ බැංකුවේ අධිපති.
Below Date YYYY-MM-DD
Horizontal Serial number on on upper left and bottom right.
Braille: None on ths series.
Back: Portrait
Jetavanarama with smaller Thuparama stupas of Anuradhapura in foreground. Hilt of Kastane Sword at bottom with Sesatha behind. On upper panel Divided Moth with diamond shape with 2 dots top left of center between panels.
Within a decorative border, Numeric 50 at top left and Bottom right. රුපියල් පනහයි in Sinhala upper right. ஐம்பது ரூபாய் in Thamil, and FIFTY RUPEES in English, in 3 lines of decreasing font size justified on bottom.
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, justified on right on top of lower panel.
At bottom centered just below horizontal decorate in small script
THOMAS DE LA RUE AND COMPANY LIMITED.
1991-19921994-2006
Watermark: Lion from national Flag standing facing left with sword in right paw, outlined darker than paper.
Security Thin polyester thread of 1 mm width embedded in note. Micro-printing background pattern.
UV Printing: Front: Serial Numbers, in Green. A rectangular highlight large numeric 50 upper left of center,and from 1995 to 2006 with additional elaborate UV printing of Moonstone, part of Sunface and blanked decorate below all in Greenish Yellow. Back: Highlight of divided fish and a band mostly across the background seaview.
images/200x_lkh_50r_lie.jpg
Latent image: At the center of motif at front bottom center, the Numeric value 50 written with diagonal lines tilted left on a background of diagonal lines tilted right, as seen on this 1200 dpi scan on right. Advanced Latent image on the 1995-2006 notes not clearly visible in scan. Click to see it highlighted by image processing. You can also see Latent image with a bright light illuminating the note tilted at a particular angle.
Replacement Notes See details with images for series in *-Notes Designed by:: James Moore. Ref: BMC front & back

Deno.Date on
BankNote 
Finance MinisterCBSL GovernorFirst Serial #Mintage
in K
Repla.
Prefix
Rs.50 1991-01-01 D.B.Wijethunga H.N.S.Karunatillake K/1 000001 5,000(Z/3)
Rs.50 1992-07-01 D.B.Wijethunga H.B.Disanayaka K/6 000001 37,000(Z/3)
Rs.50 1994-08-19 C.B.Kumaratunga H.B.Disanayaka K/43 000001 17,000Z/3
Blanked Emblem
Rs.50 1995-11-15 C.B.Kumaratunga A.S.Jayawardena K/60 000001 95,000Z/3
Rs.50 2001-12-12 K.N. Choksy A.S.Jayawardena K/155 000001 35,000Z/3
Rs.50 2004-04-10 Sarath Amunugama A.S.Jayawardena K/190 000001 30,000Z/3
Rs.50 2004-07-01 Sarath Amunugama Sunil Mendis K/220 000001 25,192Z/3
Rs.50 2005-11-19 Mahinda Rajapaksa Sunil Mendis K/245 192001 35,000Z/3
Rs.50 2006-07-03 Mahinda Rajapaksa Ajith Nivard Cabraal K/280 192001 55,000Z/3

The note was scanned at 300 dpi and displayed at 50 dpi.

 

 

 

British Museum item 2015-4146-62 gives vignette of head of male dancer, wearing elaborate headdress, on note and says it was designed by James Moore.

The identity of the Kandyan Dancer on the Sri Lanka 50 Rupee note issued in 1991 late Simon Malagammana, a ves dancer of no mean repute was mentioned in 2002 in SundayTimes article by Ms Kumudini Hettiarachchi. Image on left was posted on Facebook in 2018 May confirming this identification although Divaina article of 2016 February 17 by M. S. Ranathunga had identified him as famous Late Nittawela Gunaya (1907-1986). See also article on Traditional dance in modern times.

A FaceBook Post pointed out that the identity was never revealed in any official announcement and therefore the image is of a generic Kandyan Dancer. This is correct, but was also the case for the temple images in note or bowler represented in coin.