HISTORY OF THE CURRENCY OF SRI LANKA Sri Lanka is a country that has long history. When studying these history, it is essential to study about the coins. In different eras people use different coins. Because in different period of time Sri Lanka is governed by different nations. Although small in size, a coin has the ability of giving information about the economic and cultural history of our country. We can take evidence about the coin from “ vansa katha ”, ancient texts and letters as well as in archeological evidence. Sri Lanka’s currency can be categorize based on following eras. Anuradhapura era Polonnaruwa to kotte era Kandy era Colonial era Post-independence period since establishment of the central bank of Ceylon. 0 01. ANURADAPURA ERA Anuradhapura is the first kingdom of our country. In this era people use following coins. Kahapana – the earliest unit of currency known in the island is referred to as a kahapana. They are called puranas in