British Ceylon Rs 10 Rupees banknote of 1954 Queen Elizabeth II, Central Bank of Ceylon.
Obverse: Portrait of the young Queen Elizabeth II from a classic Dorothy Wilding photograph.
Reverse: Guard stone showing Nagaraja or Cobra King, Ratnaprasada, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka .
Printed by Bradbury Wilkinson and Company, New Malden in Surrey, England.
Ceylon Banknotes
Central Bank of Ceylon - 1953-1954 Queen Elizabeth II, Second Issue
5 Rupees 10 Rupees
Guardstone at Ratnaprasada
Height 4 ft. 6 in., Breadth 2 ft. 9 in. Except for a broken nose the guardstone is well preserved. The arch above the figure is profusely sculptured. A double makara head is at the apex and there is a makara head at each and of the base of the arch. Of the mounth of the makara are thrown out a lion at each end and dancing human forms. The seven sets of cobra eyes look daggers at the intruder. The rippling muscles of the body of the naga-king are very realistic. The head-dress and the ornaments are worked out in exquisite detail. An elephant stands on the pilaster. Only one dwarf is included.