2 Rupees Central Bank Of Ceylon Banknote (Swrd Bandaranaike Portrait Series)

2 Rupees Rupee (Issued 1962-1965)

Among the earliest post-independence issues of the Central Bank of Ceylon, the 1962–1965 two rupee note occupies a particularly telling moment in Sri Lankan monetary history — the young nation asserting its identity through new portraiture and indigenous symbolism on its circulating currency. A currency expert would immediately note the portrait choice, the Sinhala and Tamil bilingual inscriptions reflecting Ceylon’s constitutional language politics of the period, and the engraved ancient monument on the reverse, which roots the note firmly in the island’s pre-colonial heritage. The printing attribution to Bradbury, Wilkinson and Co. of New Malden, Surrey, England — visible in the lower margin of the reverse — signals the continued use of British security printers even as Ceylon charted an independent course. The combination of these elements makes this a document of both numismatic and political-historical interest.

On the front, the dominant feature is a right-facing portrait of Solomon Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Ceylon, rendered in fine intaglio engraving to the right-hand side of the note. He is depicted wearing glasses and traditional Ceylonese dress, with the portrait set within a lightly shaded rectangular panel. The overall colour palette of the front is a warm rose-red to deep crimson, applied across the body of the note with fine guilloché latticework and geometric border patterns framing the central field. In the upper left and upper right corners, the large numeral “2” appears in bold serif type, repeated symmetrically. The issuing authority name in Sinhala script — reading as “Sri Lanka Maha Bankuwa” (Central Bank of Ceylon) — appears prominently along the top of the note in a clear, bold typeface. Below this, several lines of Sinhala script text carry statutory and promise language. The serial number, printed in black, reads E/85 794052 and is positioned centrally within the note’s field. A date of 1962-11-2 is visible beneath the serial number, accompanied by two manuscript signatures in black ink, one above the other, with printed Sinhala script designations below each signature identifying the signatories’ official titles. A decorative floral and scroll motif in the centre of the note adds further ornamental detail, with small rosette elements arranged around it. Along the lower left, the English denomination text “TWO RUPEES” is printed in bold uppercase letters, and Tamil script denomination text appears in the lower right corner. The overall border of the note features a repeated fine-line geometric frame in deep red, typical of the security printing house’s engraved output of this period.

The reverse is printed in a single deep crimson-red tone and is dominated by a highly detailed engraved vignette of the ancient stone columns at Polonnaruwa, one of Ceylon’s most celebrated archaeological sites. The columns — tall, cylindrical, and arranged in rows — are depicted rising from a low platform or base structure, with open sky and a suggestion of distant landscape behind them. The scene is rendered with fine crosshatching and line engraving that conveys depth and texture across the stonework. Above the central vignette, the issuing bank name in Sinhala script is printed in bold lettering, flanked by the numeral “2” in each upper corner. Below the bank name, Tamil script text and the English text “TWO RUPEES” appear side by side, clearly identifying the denomination bilingually. Below the main vignette, Sinhala script denomination text is printed in bold. To the right of the vignette, an extensive panel of fine guilloché or engine-turned pattern fills the field with intricate, tightly wound line work that serves both as an aesthetic and security element. In the lower margin, the printer’s imprint reads “BRADBURY, WILKINSON & CO. LT NEW MALDEN, SURREY, ENGLAND” in small uppercase letters. The numeral “2” appears once more in the lower left corner within a small ornamental frame, and a similarly framed geometric square device appears in the lower right, completing the symmetrical layout of the reverse design.

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Other Sri Lankan Rupees you can exchange: 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200.