The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) issued for circulation, 1000 Rupee Currency Notes in a series of notes that started in 1991 on theme Sri Lanka Heritage.
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Basic Details
| Theme | Sri Lanka Heritage |
| Colors | Front – Green with bit of brown, purple and Yellow in background design Back – Green with bit of brown, red and purple on peacock |
| Front | Landscape Decorated Maligawa tusker Raja with Mahout on right, Moonstone above decorate in lower center with smaller caparisoned elephant with casket on left with floral design above with eight petal flower shape rectangle on left. Carved panel with standing Gaja Sinha facing right on bottom left. |
| Back | Portrait Octogan of the Temple of the tooth relic in background with, two Peacocks at Bottom. On upper panel Divided Lotus flower eight petal flower shape rectangle top left of center of lower panel. Within a decorative border, Numeric 1000 at top left and Bottom right. |
| Sequrity Thread |
Thin polyester thread of 1 mm width embedded in note. UV Printing: Front: Serial Numbers in Green. A rectangular highlight large numeric 1000 upper left of center, a band on right and on left omitting watermark panel. After 1995 with additional UV printing of blanked decorate below in Greenish Yellow. Back: Highlight band across lower of center over peacocks. |
| Watermark | Lion from national Flag standing facing left with sword in right paw, outlined darker than paper. 2006-07-03 CornerStones |
| Printer | Thomas de la rue |
| Size | 157 x 78.5 mm |
| Date of Issue | started in 1991 |
| Printed Years | 1998 |
UV Printing
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Sequrity Thread
| Deno. | Date on BankNote |
Finance Minister | CBSL Governor | Fi rst Serial # | Mintage in K |
Repla. Prefix |
| Rs.1000 | 1991-01-01 | D.B.Wijethunga | H.N.S.Karunatillake | G/1 000001 | 4,000 | (Z/6) |
| Rs.1000 | 1992-07-01 | D.B.Wijethunga | H.B.Disanayaka | G/5 000001 | 26,000 | Z/6 |
| Blanked Emblem | ||||||
| Rs.1000 | 1995-11-15 | C.B.Kumaratunga | A.S.Jayawardena | G/31 000001 | 75,000 | Z/6 |
| Wide Security – Curves | ||||||
| Rs.1000 | 2001-12-12 | K.N. Choksy | A.S.Jayawardena | G/106 000001 | 25,000 | Z/6 |
| Rs.1000 | 2004-04-10 | Sarath Amunugama | A.S.Jayawardena | G/131 000001 | 25,000 | Z/6 |
| Rs.1000 | 2004-07-01 | Sarath Amunugama | Sunil Mendis | G/156 000001 | 30,065 | Z/6 |
| Wide Security – Text | ||||||
| Rs.1000 | 2006-07-03 | Mahinda Rajapaksa | Ajith Nivard Cabral | G/186 65001 | 60,000 | Z/6 |
Artist’s impression
The Elephant Raja was born in the jungles of Eravur in Batticaloa District about 1913. He was captured along with few other elephants by a group of men headed by a Muslim man named Umaru Lebbe Panikkar in November 1925, who became its Mahout (Trainer) and appears with the Tusker on the 1991 Rs 1000 currency note. Raja carried the sacred casket at the annual perahera in Kandy from 1950 to 1987 and died in July 1988.
Story of the elephant and the man with the cap
they are from the eastern province. The man is Umar Lebbai Panicker from Eravur in the Batticaloa district and the tusker in the note was caught in 1925 in the Eravur forest and reared by him.
It is said Umar Lebbai Panicker presented this tusker to Dalada Maligawa and within a short period it escaped from there and went in search of him to Eravur. He brought it back again and handed over to the Dalada Maligawa.
His Excellency President late J.R. Jayawardene in order to honour the long services of the tusker had declared it as a national asset in 1984. This tusker named as Raja adored the Esala Perehera processions in Kandy and thus became national fame and honoured nationally.
After this, the government in power then, decided to honour the person presented this elephant to Dalada Maligawa by printing the picture of him with the tusker nearby, on the notes of rupees 1000/- and the village Eravur was thus honoured by this action.
The tusker Raja that served in Dalada Maligawa and brought fame and honour not only for itself but also to the person presented it to Dalada Maligawa and the village Eravur finally died on July 15, 1988 after serving 50 years in the Maligawa.
“Panicker “is a name given to people who catch elephants in the forest, rear them and sell to people involved in business, transporting or carrying very heavy materials and things. Their decedents are still identified as “Panicker Thaththi” or “Panicker Kathara”in Eravur. There is a road in Eravur known as ‘Panicker Veedy’ named after their name.
