Nalanda College, Colombo
Nalanda College is a Buddhist school in Sri Lanka that provides primary and secondary education for boys. The school was founded by Patrick de Silva Kularatne as an offshoot of Ananda College, Colombo, and was officially registered as a separate institution on 1 November 1925.
History
In 1922, a section of Ananda College was relocated to Campbell Place, Colombo, following a proposal by Patrick de Silva Kularatne, a leading Buddhist educator. L. H. Mettananda was appointed principal of this institution, which became known as the Ananda branch. W. E. Fernando served as headmaster, and Balangoda [Ananda Maitreya Thero] became its first Buddhist teacher.In 1922, the Governor of Ceylon laid the foundation stone. In 1924, Kularatne spent Rs. 5,500 to purchase of land near the Campbell Place playground and built 16 classrooms for the new school. Out of 16 classrooms, two were allocated for the principal's office and staff, another two for the laboratories, and the remaining 12 for classrooms. A total of 330 students from Ananda were transferred under the care of L. H. Mettananda in 1924.
Kularatne helped register the institution as a separate school on 1 November 1925. The new school was given its motto, Apadana Sobhini Panna, while the school name Nalanda was proposed by Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero. The English and the Sinhala versions are "Character illumines Wisdom" and "Yahapath Charithayen Praggnawa Opanangwe", respectively. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thera selected this motto from the Anguttara Nikaya, Tika Nipata, Bala Waggo Lakkhana Sutta.
On 1 January 1926, Kularatne appointed Dr. Gunapala Piyasena Malalasekera as the first registered principal of the newly formed Nalanda College and transferred L. H. Mettananda back to Ananda College as vice principal. Malalasekara launched several projects, making plans for the collection of funds for the construction of buildings, and later commenced a bulletin titled Nalanda. He also arranged 15-minute Buddhist talks at the daily student's assembly and took many steps to promote the Buddhist environment in the school.
Kularatne laid the foundation stone for the second building on 30 March 1926. By the end of 1926, the number of students had increased to 550. Later, he borrowed money from Anagarika Dharmapala to purchase land for the primary section, which was then settled by Malalasekara, the student assembly hall is named Malalasekara Theater for him.
Academics
Students of Nalanda College have consistently participated in national-level examinations, with some achieving high grades in O-Level and A-Level exams, as well as in various sports competitions.Awards
In 2011, Nalanda students won first place in the world at the Oracle Thinkquest Application Development. They also won first place in the International Students Biotechnology Competition and the 14th International Convention on Students Quality Control Circles, held in Lucknow, India. Students of Nalanda College, Colombo, have also participated in research activities. In 2017, a student of the Research Forum won a silver medal for his research, "Deposition of air pollutants on pollen grains and occurrence of respiratory allergies among humans at the International Conference of Young Scientists in Germany". It was the first time Sri Lanka participated in an event as a competitive country.The school presents students with various awards recognising achievements in academics, sports, and extracurricular activities. Merit ceremonies are conducted each year and include:
- Annual Prize Giving - All students who gained special academic achievements in education are felicitated.
- Annual Colours Awarding Ceremony - felicitates students who performed and achieved national and international victories during the year.
- International Awarding Ceremony - awards students who gain high recognition on the international stage.
- Nalanda Puthra Abhinandana Award – Service to the nation, awarded to M. J. Perera in 1992.
- Nalanda Keerthi Sri - Jayaweerage Samantha was the founder of the Nalanda Keerthi Sri Award Festival. As the media Secretary of the Nalanda College Old Scouts' Association, the first edition occurred on 27 September 2003. The award recognises alumni for their contributions in various professional fields, serving as an inspiration for current students.
Clubs and societies
- Aeronautical Society
- Buddhist Association
- Communication Unit
- Computer Society
- Commerce Society
- Dancing Circle
- Commerce Society
- English Debating Society
- English Drama Circle
- Interact Club
- Leo Club
- Life Saving Club
- Prefects Guild
- Photographic & Art Society
- Science Society
- Scouts Troop
- Western Music Association
Campbell Place
Sports
Nalanda College occupies a playground at Campbell Place, a sports complex, a squash court, a swimming pool, a shooting range, boxing ring, and other sports facilities including;- Athletics
- Archery
- Badminton
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Cadet Platoon
- Cadet Band
- Chess
- Gymnastics
- Hockey
- Martial Arts – Karate, Wushu
- Rugby Football
- Rowing
- Rifle Shooting
- Soccer
- Squash
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Water Polo
Cricket
Battle of the Maroons
The encounter was first played in 1924, and the match is played as a three-day encounter starting from this year 2025 at the Singhalese Sports Club grounds. Nalanda are the current holders of the trophy, having won it in 2022 under the leadership of Dineth Samaraweera. The first Battle of the Maroons was played in 1925, and Nalandians were led by B.S. Perera while N M Perera led Anandians. Nalanda won the inaugural contest. Sri Lanka's first Test cricket captain, Bandula Warnapura, an alumnus of the college, while Arjuna Ranatunga, who captained the Sri Lankans in the World Cup victory in 1996, was also an alumnus. This year's 95th encounter ended in a draw. The Battle of the Maroons 48th one day encounter that was played this year, was abandoned due to rain. In 1951, Stanley Jayasinghe became the first Nalandian to represent the All Ceylon Cricket Team while still being a schoolboy playing against Pakistan in Pakistan.The match is contested for the Dr. N. M. Perera Memorial Trophy. The one day 50 overs match is played for the P de S Kularatne trophy.
Nalanda vs Trinity
The annual cricket match between Nalanda College, Colombo, and Trinity College, Kandy, was played for the Mahela-Sanga Trophy.Water polo
Nalanda plays its annual water polo encounter with Royal College, Colombo for the Royal-Nalanda Challenge Shield. The inaugural encounter was played in 2017.Golf
Nalanda College plays its annual Golf tourney with Ananda College Colombo at Royal Colombo Golf Club.Principals
The college principals are appointed by the Ministry of Education Sri Lanka.| Name | Assumed office | Left office | Notes |
| L. H. Mettananda | 1925 | 1926 | Ananda Principal Patrick de Silva Kularatne's unofficial appointment as Principal of Ananda's Branch |
| Gunapala Malalasekara | 1926 | 1927 | First Officially Registered Principal under new independent institution named Nalanda Academic, scholar and diplomat known for his Malalasekara English-Sinhala Dictionary |
| G. K. W. Perera | 1927 | 1928 | Ceylonese lawyer, educator, politician and diplomat |
| J. N. Jinendradasa | 1928 | 1946 | |
| D. C. Lowris | 1947 | 1952 | |
| M. de S. Jayarathne | 1953 | 1955 | |
| M. W. Karunananda | 1956 | 1962 | |
| K. M. W. Kuruppu | 1962 | 1963 | |
| D. J. Edirisinghe | 1963 | 1964 | |
| Gunapala Wickramaratne | 1964 | 1969 | Later became Commissioner of Examinations |
| Sugunadasa Athukorala | 1969 | 1982 | |
| Dharma Gunasinghe | 1982 | 1990 | |
| D. G. Sumanasekera | 1990 | 1994 | Later became first Principal of Vidura College Colombo |
| Edward Ranasinghe | 1994 | 1999 | |
| Hemantha Premathilaka | 1999 | 2010 | Later became Additional Secretary Ministry of Education |
| Ranjith Jayasundara | 2010 | 2017 | |
| Thilak Waththuhewa | 2017 | 2020 | |
| H. Maheshika Wijerathne | 2020 | 2021 | |
| Thilak Waththuhewa | 2021 | 2023 | Later became Principal of Royal College, Colombo |
| Iran Champika De Silva | 2023 | Present |
Notable staff
| Name | Notes |
| Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Mahanayake Thero | Vice Chancellor of Vidyodaya University, Chancellor of Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka |
| Polwatte Buddhadatta Mahanayake Thero | Professor of Buddhist philosophy at Vidyalankara University |
| S. Mahinda Thero | Poet, author, and participated in the Sri Lankan independence movement |
| Dr A. T. Ariyaratne | Founder of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement |
| Sagara Palansuriya | Poet, teacher and Member of Parliament |
| Edward Jayakody | Musician, singer, composer, and occasional actor |
| Premasara Epasinghe | Cricket commentator and journalist |
| S. Panibharatha | Dancer and choreographer |
| Siri Perera | Criminal lawyer, former Sri Lanka High Commissioner |
| Somalatha Subasinghe | Actress, playwright, theatre director |