Rahula College

Rahula College (Sinhala: රාහුල විද්‍යාලය Rāhulaa Vidyālaya) is a boys' school in Sri Lanka, located in Matara district. Though it was originally a private Buddhist 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.

Rahula College
Location
Matara

Sri Lanka
Coordinates5.953106°N 80.535447°E / 5.953106; 80.535447
Information
TypeNational
MottoPali: අත්තානං දමයන්ති පණ්ඩිතා
Aththānang damayanthi pandithā
(A wise man controls himself)
Religious affiliation(s)Buddhist
Established1923 (1923)
PrincipalSamitha Kurukulasooriya
Grades1–13
Number of students6000+
Color(s)Blue & golden orange
   
AffiliationMatara Buddhists' Society (1923)
Websiterahulacollege.lk

History

In 1921, Frederick Gordon Pearce (principal of Mahinda College, Galle), 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, donated this school to the government.

Rahula College currently has over 3,000 students.[1]

Matara District

Principals
  Period Name
1st 1923 – 1932 G. William De Silva
2nd 1932 – 1936 C. Amirthalingam
3rd 1936 – 1937 J. R. Bhatt
4th 1937 – 1956 D. J. Kumarage
5th 1956 – 1973 B. P. Ariyawansa
6th 1973 – 1979 B. Suriarachchi
7th 1979 – 1983 A. H. Godavitharana
8th 1983 – 1986 P. Wijewardana
9th 1986 – 1987 Mahinda Jagoda
10th 1987 – 1989 N. Weerathunga
11th 1989 – 1990 A. M. Liyanage
12th 1990 – 1998 N. Ariyawansha
13th 1998 – 2002 Sarath Gunarathna
14th 2002 – 2010 Kithsiri Liyanagamage
15th 2010 – 2016 Nimal Dissanayake
16th 2016 –2021 Francis Welage
17th 2021 –2023 Sudath Samarawickrama
18th 2023 –present Samitha Kurukulasooriya

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.[2]

In 2012 Rahula College and Dharmapala College commenced an annual match, the Battle of Golden Lions (රුහුණු -මායා සටන). The inaugural match was held on Uyanwatta Stadium, with Rahula College hosting the event.[3]

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. The house colour is blue.
  • Parakrama :  
Named after Parakramabahu I. The house colour is yellow.
  • Vijaya :  
Named after Prince Vijaya. The house colour is green.

Notable alumni

Alumni of Rahula College Matara are called Rahulians.[4] Following is a list of some notable alumni:

Name Notability Reference
Nandalal Weerasinghe 17th Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka
D. E. W. Gunasekera MP - National List (2004-2015), Minister of Constitutional Reform (2004-2010)
Buddhika Pathirana MP - Matara (2010–present)
K. Balapatabendi Permanent Secretary to the President of Sri Lanka (1994-2003), former Chairman SriLankan Airlines
Dhammika Kitulgoda former District Judge, Secretary General of Parliament (1999–2002, 2008–2012)
Gunasena Galappatty Sri Lankan dramatist, Sinhala Radio Play writer
Victor Hettigoda Sri Lankan entrepreneur
Suraj Randiv Sri Lanka international cricketer (2010–present) [5][6][7]
Pramodya Wickramasinghe Sri Lanka international cricketer (1991-2002)
Asoka Abeygunawardana Chairman/CEO Strategic Enterprise Management Agency (SEMA)
Sarath Wijesinghe Senator (1947-1965), President of the Senate of Ceylon (1962-1965) [8]
Amara Hewamadduma former government agent, literary figure, historian
Tilake Abeysinghe Internationally reputed painter and sculptor - awarded “Cavaliere of the Order of Merit" (knighthood) by the Italian Government. [9]
Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs (February 2015 – May 2015), Minister of Agriculture (2010-2015),Minister of Cultural Affairs (2005–2010),Deputy Minister of Healthcare & Nutrition (2004–2005),Chief Minister of Southern Province (1994–2001) [10]
Isuru Lokuhettiarachchi Actor

References
  1. "Rahula College Matara - Pen friends". Cambridge Assessment English.
  2. "Battle of the Golden Lions..."
  3. "Battle of Golden Lions 2012 - RahulaTV". YouTube.
  4. Rahula College, Matara:Ninety years past a stigma neutralized Archived 3 July 2013 at archive.today
  5. "The Island". island.lk.
  6. "Suraj Randiv". Cricinfo.
  7. "Battle of Two Cities 2011: Message from The Principal". rahulacollege.org.
  8. London lawyer Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the UAE
  9. "Artscope". archives.dailynews.lk. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  10. "Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
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