500 Sri Lankan Rupees Banknote (Sri Lanka Dancers Series)

500 Rupees Rupee (Issued 2010–2024)

A windowed security thread is embedded vertically within the paper of the 500 Rupees note issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, shifting colour under different angles of light as part of the note’s anti-counterfeiting architecture. The paper itself incorporates a watermark zone visible when held to the light, consistent with the security standards adopted by Sri Lanka’s central banking authority during this issue period. Fine intaglio printing across key design elements provides a tactile raised quality that assists both machine and hand verification. These layered security measures reflect the modernisation of Sri Lankan banknote production across the 2010 to 2024 issue run.

On the front, the dominant central image is a detailed engraved vignette depicting the Colombo skyline, featuring the twin towers of the World Trade Centre alongside the Central Bank of Sri Lanka headquarters building and what appears to be a colonial-era structure — likely the Old Parliament building — set against a harbour foreground rendered in fine intaglio line work. The overall colour palette is a rich violet and purple, with subtle tonal gradations across the background. To the right of the central vignette, a large and vividly rendered rose-ringed parakeet, depicted in greens and red with fine feather detailing, perches prominently and serves as one of the note’s most striking illustrative elements. In the lower left, a small butterfly is printed in warm amber and orange tones, providing contrast against the cooler purple ground. The serial number T 944953 appears twice — once in the upper left in black horizontal text and again vertically along the right margin in red. The denomination numeral 500 is printed in large bold type in the upper left corner and again in orange-gold optically variable ink in the lower centre, shifting appearance with the viewing angle. The issuing authority name is printed across the upper register in both Sinhala script and Tamil script, with the Latin text reading CENTRAL BANK OF SRI LANKA positioned below in a clean serif typeface. A further line of Sinhala script text and Tamil script text appears in a band across the upper portion of the note. The lower margin carries the denomination written out in Sinhala script, Tamil script, and in Latin characters as FIVE HUNDRED RUPEES. Two signatures of Central Bank officials appear in the lower centre section above the date inscription 2010-01-01, establishing the first printing date of this series. The background is filled with intricate guilloché rosette patterning in pale violet, providing a secure base layer against reprographic reproduction. A label reading WORLD TRADE CENTRE / ABC BANK HEADQUARTERS appears beneath the vignette in small text, identifying the architectural subjects depicted.

The reverse features a bold central composition depicting two traditionally costumed male figures engaged in a Kandyan cultural performance. The figure on the left carries a large traditional drum and is dressed in white ceremonial garments with an elaborate white head cloth, rendered with strong intaglio line detail. The figure on the right is depicted in a richly decorated costume of deep orange and gold, wearing a traditional crown-like headdress, his right arm raised in a gesture associated with classical Kandyan dance. Both figures are executed in warm amber, orange and white tones against the prevailing violet and purple background. In the upper right corner, a rectangular security feature box contains a multicoloured holographic or colour-shifting element depicting a figure in traditional dress, providing an additional layer of verification. The denomination numeral 500 is printed in large format in the upper left corner and again in the lower right. The issuing authority name is printed in Sinhala script and Tamil script across the upper left area, with CENTRAL BANK OF SRI LANKA in Latin text below. The denomination in Sinhala script, Tamil script, and as FIVE HUNDRED RUPEES in Latin characters appears across the lower margin. The background throughout the reverse is covered in fine guilloché wave and rosette patterning in pale violet, with a vertical band of deeper geometric latticework visible along the right edge, creating a layered and complex printed field consistent with modern security note design.

Have a 500 Rupees Sri Lanka banknote you no longer need? Webuyallcurrency.com lets you sell foreign coins and banknotes for cash, taking your Sri Lankan Rupees banknotes and other leftover currency in one simple exchange.

• Indicate the quantity of 500 Rupees Rupee banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

Got a mix of old coins and banknotes? Webuyallcurrency.com will exchange your Sri Lankan Rupees banknotes alongside other leftover and foreign currency, settling the whole lot in one straightforward transaction.

Other Sri Lankan Rupees you can exchange: 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100.