The Economic History Museum & Central Bank Currency Museum

The Economic History Museum (EHM) of Sri Lanka is an initiative by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL). It was established to provide present and future generations of the country with the knowledge about Sri Lanka’s rich and diverse economic journey right up to the present day.  

At present, the main focus of the EHM is the Currency Museum which displays a wide range of exhibits from the evolution of currency in the world, through its usage in Sri Lanka which dates back to the 3rd Century BC, up to currency notes and coins as it is used today. Coins used during various eras of  the country such as the Anurdhapura,  Polonnaruwa, Kotte and Kandy kingdoms, currency used during the colonial rule of the country with a large collection from the British colonial period and notes and coins issued by the CBSL are attractively displayed.  Special exhibits of the process of minting coins and printing currency notes are also on display with generous contributions by the bank note printer and coin mints. Self-learning tools to detect the security features of currency notes, videos on currency are also available.