Rahula College ( Sinhala: රාහුල විද්‍යාලය ''Rāhulaa Vidyālaya'') (

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

: ராஹுல வித்தியாலம் ''Rāhula vittiyālam'') is a boys' school in

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 ...

, located in Matara district. Though it was originally a private

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 ...

school, now it is run by the Government of Sri Lanka as a National School. Rahula College has two sections - the Primary section, which serves students from Grade 1 to Grade 5, and the Secondary section, which serves students from Grade 6 to Grade 13.

History

In 1921,

Frederick Gordon Pearce Frederick Gordon Pearce (24 March 1892 – 1962) was an English educationist who served in India and Ceylon. He is regarded as the founder of the Indian public school movement. Educational philosophy Pearce was deeply influenced by the ''Teachin ...

(principal of Mahinda College,

Galle Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Souther ...

), D.T.W. Rajapaksha Ralahami and Sir R.S.S. Gunawardana established the "Buddhists Society". On 1 May 1923, the Buddhists Society opened a school named Parakramabhahu Vidyalaya, in a rented building on Main Street, Matara. Parakramabhahu Vidyalaya's motto was "May I be a true Buddhist". Hewabowalage Yasapala was the first student. Parakramabhahu Vidyalaya was shifted to the "Saram Mudali Walawwa" which was donated by C. A. Odiris de Silva, with the new name of "Rahula College". C.A. Odiris de Silva's second son C.A. Ariyathilake, who also donated Matara's leading girls' school

Sujatha Vidyalaya Sujatha Vidyalaya is a girls' school in Sri Lanka. Located in the Matara District - Sri Lanka's southernmost district. The school was established as a private Buddhist school by the Matara Buddhists' Society in 1929. Sujatha Vidyalaya is one ...

, donated this school to the government. Rahula College currently has over 3,000 students. Matara district

Principals

Primary section

Rahula Primary is located in Welegoda. It was established in 1991, at the site of the former Sudarshana Model School. There are classes from grade 1 to grade 5.

Sports

Sports at the college include athletics, basketball, boxing, chess, cricket, rugby, soccer, swimming, volleyball, table tennis, badminton and karate. The annual Rahula - Thomas football encounter or Battle of Golden Ensigns, is an annual football match played between Rahula College and St. Thomas' College, Matara. In 2012 Rahula College and Dharmapala College commenced an annual match, the Battle of Golden Lions (). The inaugural match was held on Uyanwatta Stadium, with Rahula College hosting the event.

Houses

There are four student houses in the college, named after historical figures in South Asia. They are: *Ashoka : :Named after Ashoka. The house colour is red. *Gemunu : :Named after

Dutugamunu Dutugamunu the Great (, , also spelled as ''Dutthagamani''), also known as Dutthagamani Abhaya ("fearless Gamini"), was the greatest king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC. He is renowned for reuniting the whole island ...

. The house colour is blue. *Parakrama : :Named after Parakramabahu I. The house colour is yellow. *Vijaya : :Named after

Prince Vijaya According to the ''Mahāvaṃsa'' chronicle, Prince Vijaya (c. 543–505 BCE) was the first Sinhalese monarchy, Sinhalese king. Legends and records from both Indian and Sri Lanka sources say that he along with several hundred followers came to ...

. The house colour is green.

Notable alumni

Alumni of Rahula College Matara are called Rahulians.Rahula College, Matara:Ninety years past a stigma neutralized
Following is a list of some notable alumni:

References

External links

*
Rahula College Old Boys Association
{{Education in Sri Lanka 1923 establishments in Ceylon Boys' schools in Sri Lanka Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka Educational institutions established in 1923 National schools in Sri Lanka Schools in Matara, Sri Lanka