2 Rupees

Ceylon's Government currency notes of this period displaced the private bank notes that had circulated before the First World War, with the colonial administration assuming direct issue authority under the Currency Ordinance of 1884 — though large-denomination government notes only became genuinely practical once public confidence in paper improved during the war years. The 2 Rupee denomination was deliberately kept as a government obligation rather than a central bank liability, a distinction that mattered legally even if it was invisible in daily commerce.

Graeme Thomson served as Ceylon's Colonial Secretary before becoming Governor in 1931. Bernard Senior held the Auditor-General's position. De La Rue's London facility handled the full print run across the four-year issue window.