Ananda College
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Article under construction
Ananda College (Sinhala: ආනන්ද විද්යාලය) is a Buddhist school in Colombo, Sri Lanka that accommodates over 6000 students. It was founded by Henry Steel Olcott and Sri Sumangala Thero in an effort to restore Buddhist education to South Asia. In over 130 years of operation, the school has nurtured generations of leaders for Sri Lanka. It was named after a chief disciple of Gautama Buddha.
Origins and early history
The school was started with 37 students in Maliban Street, Colombo, on November 1, 1886. It was moved to Paranavadiya in Maradana.
Fritz Kunz as Principal
On March 19, 1917, the Ananda College Boarders' Good-Will Fraternity presented Mr. Kunz with a little book with an affectionate message in beautiful calligraphy and a listing of 45 student names.
Recent developments
Ananda College now offers 13 grades of education on a campus of over 20 acres. The student body is over 6000, with an academic staff of about 200. Students participate in many sports and other competitions with other schools. The team name is the Maroons.
The college holds an annual Olcott Oration. On November 20, 2016 the topic was "Unreasonable Success of Mathematics and Role of Information Technology in driving National Economics," delivered by Professor Rohan Attele of Chicago State University.
Lecturers and visitors
Notable Buddhists and Theosophists have visited the college over the years, and some have delivered significant lectures. One example is Dr. W. Y. Evans-Wentz, whose lecture (about 1921) was published by the Maha Bodhi Society in Colombo.
Other resources
- Ananda College website.
- "Ananda College"' in Wikipedia.
- Ananda College Facebook Page.
- Kunz Family Collection. Records Series 25.01. Theosophical Society in America Archives. Fritz Kunz left correspondence, documents, and photos from his time as principal at Ananda College.