1979 - Sri Lanka - Flora and Fauna
Laki Senanayaka Paintings
100 Rupee note

In 1977 Laki Senanayaka was commissioned to design, draw and Paint the set of currency Notes based on the theme Endemic Flora and Fauna of Sri Lanka, which were issued by the Central Bank of Ceylon (CBSL) dated 1979-03-26 and put into circulation in 1980 August. Illustrates how the layout design of the Rs 100 note was developed.

Talipot palm - Laki - Peradeniya 21-5-77
On left, back of Note drawn in
landscape, as was the tradition
before this 1979 issue.
Front: Landscape
Two Ceylon Hill Myna, the grackle bird (Gracula Ptilogenys) and above them the golden palm civet cat (Paradoxurus Zeylonensis) atop a Ceylon wild Mango tree (Mangifera Zeylanica). At centre appear the Talipot palm (Corypha Umbraculifera) and in the lower half, between the palm and pair of buds, the moderately venomous Ceylon green pit viper (Trimeresurus Trigonocephalus), all against a scenic background.
Back: Portrait
At centre are two yellow-fronted barbet birds (Megalaima Flavi frons) on and in hollow of a tree (Horsfieldia Iriyaghedi) which is used for timber. A Ceylon Tree Nymph butterfly, (Idea Lynceus Jasonia) at bottom left, and flowering plants (Areca Concinna) at bottom right, set off against a scenic background.

This Note displays Endemic Sri Lanka Flora and Fauna from the highest altitudes.
Golden palm Civet
- Laki'77 		Areca Concinna
Laki - Peradeniya 27-1-76
Horsfieldia Iriyaghedi.
The whole tree and one detail which can be seen better in the landscape sketch of the back.

Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. (1500 feet - 460 meters)

On Laki's request the back of the notes switched to Portrait mode for the first time, and has remained that way for all future series of definitive currency notes issued in Sri Lanka.

The website lakisenanayake.com has images of 44 of his designs which had been painted at about 3 times the scale and had been scanned at 100 dpi. Displayed above at 50 dpi of the issued note. I thank Dominic Sansoni and Laki's daughter Mintaka for permission to use the images of these paintings in the notes.lakdiva.org.lk website.
I thank Michael Meyler for the detail sketches of the Golden Palm Civet and the Areca concinna.