100 Sri Lankan Rupees Banknote (Tea Pluckers)

100 Rupees Rupee (Issued 1992)

In the early 1990s, a 100 Rupee note would have passed through the hands of tea estate workers, market traders, and city shopkeepers across Sri Lanka, representing a meaningful sum in the everyday economy of the island. It might have settled a week’s household account in Colombo, changed hands at a roadside stall in Kandy, or been carefully folded into a wage packet on one of the country’s famous hill-country plantations. Worn smooth at the folds after months of circulation, notes like this one formed the backbone of daily commerce before this series was eventually withdrawn from use. Today, these notes survive as tangible remnants of Sri Lanka’s monetary history in the early post-Cold War period.

On the front, the design is dominated by a warm palette of deep terracotta orange, pale cream, and soft amber tones, printed on a note oriented in landscape format. The most prominent central motif is a large, intricately engraved traditional Sri Lankan brass or bronze water pot, known locally as a kalasha or purnakumbha, rendered in fine intaglio detail that captures its ornate relief patterns and rounded form with considerable artistry. This ceremonial vessel is a symbol of prosperity and auspiciousness in Sri Lankan culture and sits to the right of centre on the face of the note. To the left, a vertical band in a lighter cream tone contains the serial number printed twice in deep red: the prefix letters followed by the number 446557, with the serial number repeated at the lower right in a smaller format. The issuing authority is identified in clear roman type as “Central Bank of Sri Lanka” positioned centrally near the top of the note, accompanied above by Sinhala script text identifying the same institution. Below the bank name, the denomination is stated in Sinhala script in prominent red lettering, with a further line of Tamil script appearing beneath. The date of issue, 1992-07-01, is printed in small numerals in the central field. The denomination numeral “100” appears in bold at the upper left and upper right corners, and the words “ONE HUNDRED RUPEES” run vertically along the left-hand edge of the note in English. Sinhala script text reading the equivalent denomination runs vertically along the right-hand margin. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s emblem — featuring the Sinha, or lion, motif within a circular device — is visible in the centre-left area of the note. The background of the note is enriched with fine guilloché rosette patterns and geometric latticework in pale orange and cream that give the surface a layered, engraved quality. A security thread is embedded within the paper, visible as a dark vertical stripe running through the note when held to the light, and the paper itself carries a watermark that becomes apparent against strong backlighting.

The reverse of the note continues in the same warm terracotta, coral orange, and cream colour scheme. The upper portion carries the denomination numeral “100” in large bold figures at the upper left, set against a circular rosette device, and the bank’s identifying text appears again in Sinhala script at the top, with “Central Bank of Sri Lanka” printed in English beneath and Tamil script text following. The central scene is a richly engraved landscape composition depicting the dramatic rock fortress of Sigiriya — the iconic ancient citadel rising steeply from the surrounding plain — rendered in fine linework against a pale sky. In the foreground of this scene, two female figures dressed in traditional saris are depicted in a working pose, evoking the tea-picking or agricultural labour associated with Sri Lanka’s plantation industry, and their forms are drawn with careful, portrait-like detail. Immediately below this central landscape scene, two large parrots are depicted perched among tropical foliage, rendered with naturalistic engraved detail that captures the texture of feathers and the tropical lushness of the surrounding leaves and branches. These birds appear to be Sri Lanka hanging parrots or a related species native to the island. The denomination is restated at the lower right as the numeral “100” and along the lower centre as “ONE HUNDRED RUPEES” in English, with Sinhala script denomination text appearing at the lower left. The upper border of the reverse carries a decorative frieze of pink hibiscus flowers — the national flower of Sri Lanka — printed in a soft rose tone that contrasts gently with the dominant orange ground. The overall reverse design creates a vivid portrait of Sri Lanka’s natural and cultural heritage, combining historical architecture, human figures, indigenous wildlife, and national flora within a single unified composition.

Looking to exchange leftover currency? Your 100 Rupees Sri Lanka banknote can be sold to Webuyallcurrency.com alongside other old or withdrawn Sri Lankan Rupees banknotes, turning spare money from a trip or collection into cash in one simple transaction.

• Indicate the quantity of 100 Rupees Rupee banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

Webuyallcurrency.com is a simple way to exchange or sell foreign coins and banknotes for cash — current or withdrawn — turning your Sri Lankan Rupees banknotes and any other leftover currency into one straightforward payout.

Other Sri Lankan Rupees you can exchange: 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 200.