''Appamādo Amathapadan''
(Buddhist quote from the Apramada Vagga in the

Dhammapada The Dhammapada (Pāli; sa, धर्मपद, Dharmapada) is a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form and one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist scriptures. The original version of the Dhammapada is in the Khuddaka ...

) , motto_translation = Heedfulness, Punctuality leads to Nirvana , location = P De S Kularatne Mawatha , city =

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

, country =

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, coordinates = , image = , image size = 150px , caption = Crest of Ananda College , pushpin_map = Sri Lanka Colombo Central , pushpin_image = , pushpin_mapsize = , pushpin_map_alt = , pushpin_map_caption = Location in central Colombo , pushpin_label = , pushpin_label_position = right , type =

National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, established = , founder =

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Henry Steel Olcott Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (2 August 1832 – 17 February 1907) was an American military officer, journalist, lawyer, Freemason and the co-founder and first president of the Theosophical Society. Olcott was the first well-known American of Euro ...

, principal = Lal Dissanayake , grades = 1–13 , gender = Boys , age_range = 6 to 19 , enrollment = 7000 , affiliation =

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

, song = දින දින කිතුගොස බෝවී , medium = Sinhala, English , colors = Maroon and Gold
, alumni = Old Anandians , website = AnandaCollege-Colombo 1920

Ananda College ( si, ආනන්ද විද්‍යාලය) is a prominent Buddhist school in

Maradana Maradana is a suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Maradana is the site of Maradana Railway Station, one of the primary railway hubs in the country, serving intercity rail and commuter rail. Maradana also has many railway yards and running sheds. A te ...

. It was established as the English Buddhist School by Colonel

in 1886. In the present day, it provides primary- and secondary-school instruction on a campus of .Foundation of Ananda College
on official website

Early history

Following a meeting of Buddhists at

Pettah Pettah may refer to: * Pettah of Ahmednagar, a fortified town outside the Fort of Ahmednagar stormed by British soldiers in 1803 during Second Anglo-Maratha War * Pettah, Colombo, a neighborhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka located east of the City centr ...

, under the patronage of

Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera ( si, හික්කඩුවේ ශ්‍රි සුමංගල නාහිමි; 20 January 1827 – 29 April 1911) was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, who was one of the pioneers of Sri Lankan Buddhist revivalis ...

, an English-Buddhist school was inaugurated at 19 Prince Street on 1 November 1886 by the Buddhist Theosophical Society. The first session was attended by 37 students. In 1888, when about 130 boys were attending, it moved to 61 Maliban Street. C. W. Leadbeater was appointed the first principal of ''Ananda today.'' By the time the school was officially registered in March 1889, there were 120 students. That same year, J. P. R. Weerasuriya became the first Anandian to pass the Cambridge junior examination. The Cambridge graduate and confessed Buddhist A. E. Bultjens became principal.''Ananda College, Colombo;'' Buddhist Annual of Ceylon, Vol. I (1920), 1, p. 41. In March 1890, the school's proximity to a Catholic school led to controversy—and a move to 54 Maliban Street where further growth ensued, and student enrollments rose to 200 in September 1892 and 270 in 1894. As principals followed

Don Baron Jayatilaka Sir Don Baron Jayatilaka, KBE ( Sinhala:ශ්‍රීමත් දොන් බාරොන් ජයතිලක; 13 February 1868 – 29 May 1944) known as ''D.B. Jayatilaka'' was a Sri Lankan Sinhalese educationalist, statesmen and diplo ...

. That year, Mr. Tudor Rajapaksha donated of landMilestones
on official website and the school was relocated in the suburb of

. On 17 August 1895, the former ''English Buddhist School'' was renamed to ''Ananda College Colombo'' with R. A. Mirando serving as its manager till his death during the 1915 riots. When

Patrick de Silva Kularatne Patrick de Silva Kularatne (31 March 1893 – 16 November 1976) (known as ''P de S Kularatne'') was a Sri Lankan (Sinhala Buddhist) educationist and politician. He was a Member of the State Council of Ceylon (1942-1947) and Member of Parl ...

took over in 1918 attendance was 450 which rapidly increased to 1000 two years later. At this time the annual budget was 80000 Rs. By 1961, the college had officially become a government school.

Ananda Viharaya

The Ananda Viharaya is the most easily distinguishable edifice and heart of the college.Historical Sketches of Ananda
on official website Completed under Col. E. A. Perusinghe, Late Governor, Honourable

William Gopallawa William Gopallawa (, ; 17 September 1896 – 31 January 1981) was the last Governor-General of Ceylon from 1962 to 1972 and became the first and only non-executive and ceremonial President of Sri Lanka when Ceylon declared itself a republic i ...

handed over the Viharaya to the School on 6 March 1969. The Buddha statue has been designed by Venerable Kalasoori Mapalagama Vipulasara Thero.

"Battle of the Maroons"

In a tradition dating back to 1924, an annual

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

contest is held between Ananda College and Nalanda College Colombo. The two schools have contributed many players to the

Sri Lanka national cricket team The Sri Lanka men's national cricket team, ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ජාතික ක්‍රිකට් කණ්ඩායම, ta, இலங்கை தேசிய கிரிக்கெட் அணி) nicknamed The Lions ...

, including the old Anandians

Sidath Wettimuny Sidath Wettimuny is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who played Test cricket and One Day Internationals as an opening batsman from 1982 to 1987. Wettimuny was a typical opening batsman in that he often played very defensively, grafting for his r ...

recipient of

Wisden Cricketers of the Year The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...

in 1985, Arjuna Ranatunga (who captained the Sri Lanka Cricket team to victory in the

1996 Cricket World Cup The 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup 1996 after the Wills Navy Cut brand produced by tournament sponsor ITC, was the sixth Cricket World Cup organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was the second World Cu ...

and who was also named as a

in 1999), former mod captain

Marvan Atapattu Deshabandu Marvan Samson Atapattu (born 22 November 1970) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach and former cricketer who played for 17 years for Sri Lanka. Considered one of the most technically sound batsman in his era, Atapattu has scored six double ...

and T20 captain

Dinesh Chandimal Lokuge Dinesh Chandimal ( si, ලොකුගේ දිනේෂ් චන්දිමාල්; born 18 November 1989) is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer who captained the Sri Lanka national cricket team. A handy and agile right-handed ba ...

Old Boys' Association

Sir D. B. Jayatilleke, the then principal, conceived the idea of the Ananda College Old Boys' Association in 1908. Initially, its main function was to organise a sports-meet and the annual dinner. In subsequent years the OBA and the school's administration have co-operated in furthering the development of the College. Prior to 1961 (when the school was nationalised), the incumbent principal of the school presided over the OBA. Since that date, a president is elected by members at each annual general meeting. The present president of OBA is Mr.Dushmantha Karannagoda.

Ananda Gallery

Ananda Gallery is the official Ananda College Merchandise portal. Ananda Gallery was established in December 2017 by Principal S.M. Keerthirathna. 2021

Ananda Daham Pasala

Ananda Daham Pasala (ආනන්ද දහම් පාසල/Ananda Dhamma School) is the Sunday school of Ananda College. It was started in 2004 as a project of the 81 group.

Notable alumni

Olcott oration

Olcott oration is an annual event organized by the old boys association of Ananda College, which commemorate the founder

Colonel Henry Steel Olcott Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (2 August 1832 – 17 February 1907) was an American military officer, journalist, lawyer, Freemason and the co-founder and first president of the Theosophical Society. Olcott was the first well-known American of Euro ...

of Ananda College and other leading Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka. Every year famous personalities who educated at Ananda College, share their own experience for the "Olcott oration" and renowned dignitaries who have delivered the oration in the past, include Prof.

Nimal Rajapakshe Nimal Rajapakse is a Sri Lankan-born academic and engineer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is a professor of engineering at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada. Education After a year in a school in his village near Attanagalla, ...

, Prof. Sumedha Chandana Wirasinghe and Prof.

Ravindra Fernando Ravindra Fernando is a Sri Lankan forensic pathologist, toxicologist, physician, author and academic. He is the current chairman of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board of Sri Lanka. Biography Education Fernando was educated at Ananda C ...

College war memorial

The Ananda College war memorial is situated in front of the Henry Steel Olcott Hall and is dedicated to alumni of Ananda college who died while members of the Sri Lankan armed forces. Lieutenant A. P. N. C. De S. Vaas Gunawardene on 23 July 1983 became the first Anandian officer to sacrifice his life while in the Military. The plaque bears the names of old Anandians who were killed in the line of duty which includes the names of 45 war heroes from the Sri Lanka Army, and many more names of war heroes from the Sri Lanka Navy and the Sri Lanka Air Force. Ananda College OBA organises an annual "Ananda Viruharasara" event to honour the military dead.

Past Principals

Notable teachers

Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero ( si, අග්ග මහා පණ්ඩිත බලංගොඩ ආනන්ද මෛත්‍රෙය මහා නා හිමි;23 August 1896 – 18 July 1998; was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk who was on ...

* Sikkim Mahinda Thero * Polwatte Buddhadatta Mahanayake Thera *

Gunapala Piyasena Malalasekera Gunapala Piyasena Malalasekera, OBE, JP, (8 November 1899 – 23 April 1973) was a Sri Lankan academic, scholar and diplomat best known for his Malalasekara English-Sinhala Dictionary. He was the Ceylon's first Ambassador to the Soviet Unio ...

Chellappah Suntharalingam Chellappah Suntharalingam ( ta, செல்லப்பா சுந்தரலிங்கம்; 19 August 1895 – 11 February 1985) was a Ceylon Tamil academic, politician, Member of Parliament and government minister. Early life and f ...

* Lionel Ranwala * Agampodi Paulus de Zoysa *

Tuan Burhanudeen Jayah Tuan Burhanuddin Jayah (1 January 1890 – 31 May 1960), was a Sri Lankan educationalist, politician, diplomat and Muslim community leader and considered one of Sri Lanka's national heroes. He started his career as a school teacher and retired af ...

R. A. Chandrasena R. A. Chandrasena ( Sinhala: ආර්. ඒ. චන්ද්‍රසේන) was a Sri Lankan musician who earned his reputation as a highly talented and gifted artist and also by his contribution to the Sri Lankan music discipline and the indu ...

* D. W. J. Perera *

Sagara Palansuriya Palansuriya Mohottalalage Dingiri Mahaththaya ( si, පලන්සුරිය මොහොට්ටාලලාගේ ඩිංගිරි මහත්තයා, known as Sagara Palansuriya ( si, සාගර පලන්සූරිය) in la ...

* K. M. Rathnapala

References

External links

Ananda College
- Official Website {{Authority control 1886 establishments in Ceylon Boys' schools in Sri Lanka Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka Educational institutions established in 1886 National schools in Sri Lanka Schools in Colombo