Nalanda College, Colombo

In 1922, a section of Ananda College was relocated to Campbell Place, Colombo, following a proposal by Kularatne. L. H. Mettananda was appointed principal of this institution, which became known as the Ananda branch. W. E. Fernando served as headmaster, and Ven. 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 sixteen classrooms for the new school. Of the classrooms, two were allocated to the principal's office and staff, three to the laboratories, and the remaining twelve to classrooms. A total of 330 students from Ananda were transferred under the care of 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 Ananda Maitreya Thero. The English and the Sinhala versions are "Character illumines Wisdom", and "Yahapath Charithayen Praggnawa Opanangwe", respectively. Ananda Maitreya Thero 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 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 talks on Buddhism at the daily students' assembly and took many steps to promote the Buddhist environment in the school. Kularatne laid the foundation stone for a 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, Malalasekara Theater, is named after him. == Academics ==

Students of Nalanda College have 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 work, "Deposition of air pollutants on pollen grains and occurrence of respiratory allergies among humans," at the International Conference of Young Scientists in Germany. ==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==

The College's playground, Campbell Place, is named after Sir George William Campbell, the first Inspector General of Police of British Ceylon. The adjoining road, previously called Campbell Place, has been renamed Ananda Rajakaruna Mawatha, in recognition of Ananda Rajakaruna, a pioneer of Sinhala poetry. ==Sports==

Nalanda College occupies a playground at Campbell Place, a sports complex, a squash court, a swimming pool, a shooting range, a boxing ring, and other sports facilities including; • Athletics • Archery • Badminton • Baseball • Basketball • Boxing • Cadet Platoon • Cadet Band • Chess • Gymnastics • Martial Arts – Karate, Wushu • Rugby Football • Rowing • Rifle Shooting • Soccer (Football) • 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 2025 (the 95th in the series - the match was not played in 1943, 1944,1945, and 1948 due to World War II, with matches being held at the Singhalese Sports Club grounds). Nalanda is the current holder 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 B.S. Perera led Nalandians 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. 2025's 95th encounter ended in a draw. The Battle of the Maroons 48th one-day encounter was played in 2025, and 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-over 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. ==Notable staff==

Past students who have studied at Nalanda College Colombo are referred to as Old Nalandians. ==War Memorial and remembrance==

Each year, students and alumni commemorate the loss of 41 alumni who died in the Sri Lankan civil war. A war memorial is situated between the main oldest buildings of the college. ==Nalanda College Junior Old Boys' Association==

The association serves the alumni of the college. Its objective is to promote the interests of the college and its past and present students by fostering relationships among alumni and with their alma mater. Each year, the union organises events such as Future Minds, Nalanda Walk, the Olcott Memorial Old Boys' Cricket Tourney, and the Ranaviru Upahara. ==See also==