Vidyalankara Pirivena is one of the largest Buddhist pirivenas in Sri Lanka. Located in Peliyagoda, it is nearly 150 years old. Under the pirivena's leadership, several schools were started in the region; one is Sri Dharmaloka College, one of the national schools in the region. Vidyalankara Pirivena was founded on November 1, 1875, by Venerable Ratmalane Sri Dharmaloka Thera. [1]
In 1978, it became the University of Kelaniya.
The University of Kelaniya is a public university in Sri Lanka. Just outside the municipal limits of Colombo, in the city of Kelaniya, the university has two major institutions and seven faculties.
The University of Sri Jayewardenepura is a public university in Sri Lanka. It is in Gangodawila, Nugegoda, near Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, the country's administrative capital. It was formed in 1958 from the Vidyodaya Pirivena, a Buddhist educational centre which was founded in 1873 by Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera.
Patikirige Sunil Jayapreethi Edirisinghe is a Sri Lankan classical musician. Edirisinghe won the presidential award for playback singing in 1983 for "Maya Miringuva Pirunu Lo Thale" from Adhishtanaya. He was awarded the Swarna Sankha Award for playback singing in 1988 for "Thurulaka Hurathal" from Mangala Thagga and in 1990 for "Walakulak Gena Muwa Karamu" from Saharave Sihinaya. He has also won the Sarasaviya Award for playback singing in 1988 for "Thidasa Pure" from Sandakada Pahana and in 2002 for "Poronduwa" from Poronduwa.
The Buddhist Library is the first dedicated Buddhist library in Singapore. The library, which is located in a shophouse in Geylang, aims to meet the needs of the Buddhist community and anyone interested in Buddhism. It is unique in that it is not a voluntary association or a temple and because it takes a non-sectarian approach to Buddhism. Besides functioning as a lending library, it also organises Dhamma talks, accredited Buddhist courses, public art exhibitions and welfare work locally and abroad.
The University of Sri Lanka was the public university system of Sri Lanka from 1972 to 1978. The university system was dissolved in 1978 and its six campuses turned into independent universities: the University of Peradeniya, the University of Colombo, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, the University of Kelaniya, the University of Moratuwa, and the University of Jaffna.
The Sri Lanka University Games are a multi-sporting event held between public universities in Sri Lanka.
Sir Don Baron Jayatilaka, KBE known as D.B. Jayatilaka was a Sri Lankan Sinhalese educationalist, statesmen and diplomat. He was Vice-President of the Legislative Council of Ceylon; the Minister for Home Affairs and Leader of the House of the State Council of Ceylon; and Representative of Government of Ceylon in New Delhi. Sir D. B. Jayatilaka is also considered as a flag bearer of Buddhist education in Sri Lanka.
Sri Dharmaloka College is a national school in the Western province of Sri Lanka, situated near the Kelaniya Temple. The school was established in 1938 at the premises of Vidyalankara Pirivena. In the 1950s, the college moved to its current location on the Kelaniya premises.
Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakkhitha Thera is the Chief Incumbent of the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara and Head of the Buddhist and Pali Faculty of the University of Kelaniya.
A pirivena is a monastic college for the education of monks in Sri Lanka. In ancient time, they were also centers of secondary and higher education for lay people. As of 2018, 753 piriven have been founded and maintained by the Ministry of Education. Young monks undergo training at these piriven prior to their ordination.
Muthukudu Arachchige Pedris Dias, popularly as Annesley Dias, was an actor of Sri Lankan cinema and television as well as a comedian. He is best known for the role "Hamu Mahaththaya" in Vinoda Samaya television sitcom.
The Vidyodaya Pirivena was one of the prominent piriven in Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1873 by Ven. Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera and later in 1959, the pirivena was granted the university status by the Government of Sri Lanka.
Witiyala Seewalie Thera is the founder and chief incumbent priest of Minnesota Buddhist Vihara. Currently, he is serving the Buddhist spiritual needs for people in six midwestern states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska.
Aniruddha Mahathera was a Nepalese Buddhist monk and the Sangha Nayak (Patriarch) of Nepal from 1998 until his death in 2003. He was one of the most important figures in the revival of Theravada Buddhism in Nepal and the development of Lumbini, the Buddha's birthplace in southern Nepal, into a center of international pilgrimage.
Henry Woodward Amarasuriya was a Ceylonese plantation owner, politician, educationist and philanthropist. He was the Cabinet Minister for Trade and Commerce in the cabinet of D. S. Senanayake. A former member of the Ceylon state council, H. W. Amarasuriya was a founding member and the first general secretary of the United National Party. He also held the position of Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees in the first parliament of Ceylon. A member of the first Education Executive Committee of the state council and a former general manager of the Buddhist schools, he did a great service to improve the education in Ceylon.
Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, who was one of the pioneers of Sri Lankan Buddhist revivalist movement in the 19th century. He did a great service to improve the Buddhist Education in the country and was the founder of Vidyodaya Pirivena, Maligakanda in 1873, which was granted the university status later in 1959 by the Government of Sri Lanka. A veteran author and a fiery orator, he was a major figure in the Panadurawadaya, a religious debate held between Christian missionaries and Buddhist monks in 1873 at Panadura, Sri Lanka. He was well versed in Sinhala, Pali, Sanskrit, English, Buddhism, history, arithmetic, and archaeology and was one of the primary sources of information on Buddhism for the success of the Panadura debate.
Palansuriya Mohottalalage Dingiri Mahaththaya (Sinhala: පලන්සුරිය මොහොට්ටාලලාගේ ඩිංගිරි මහත්තයා, known as Sagara Palansuriya in later life, was a Sri Lankan poet, teacher and Member of Parliament.
Ratmalane Sri Dharmaloka Thera was a scholar Buddhist monk who lived in the 19th century in Sri Lanka. An educationist and revivalist of Sri Lankan Buddhism, he was reputed for his knowledge of Pali, Sanskrit and Buddhist Philosophy. Ratmalane Sri Dharmaloka Thera was the founder of Vidyalankara Pirivena, Peliyagoda, which was granted the University status later by the Sri Lankan government in 1959, and presently known as University of Kelaniya. Sri Dharmaloka College in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka is named after him.
Ven. Harispattuwe Ariyawanshalankara Nayaka Thero (1939–2014) was a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka. He was popular as a pious monk who had delivered great service to both Buddhism and society in Sri Lanka.
Akuruddaliyanage Don John Lazarus Leo was a Sri Lankan Ayurveda practitioner and politician. He served as Member of Parliament from the Wattala.