The Matara series, launched in 2013, was part of a broader Sri Lankan initiative to replace provincial banknotes and older coinage with coins honoring the country's nine provincial capitals — a project that gained momentum in the post-civil war period as the government invested in national cohesion infrastructure. Matara, the administrative capital of the Southern Province, had been a significant colonial-era port under both the Portuguese and Dutch before British consolidation.
AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel was chosen largely for its corrosion resistance in Sri Lanka's humid coastal climate, following persistent complaints about earlier cupronickel issues degrading in circulation.
The Matara series, launched in 2013, was part of a broader Sri Lankan initiative to replace provincial banknotes and older coinage with coins honoring the country's nine provincial capitals — a project that gained momentum in the post-civil war period as the government invested in national cohesion infrastructure. Matara, the administrative capital of the Southern Province, had been a significant colonial-era port under both the Portuguese and Dutch before British consolidation.
AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel was chosen largely for its corrosion resistance in Sri Lanka's humid coastal climate, following persistent complaints about earlier cupronickel issues degrading in circulation.