Mahanama College

Mahanama College
මහානාම විද්‍යාලය
Location
R. A. D. Mel Mawatha
Colombo 03

Sri Lanka

6°54′22″N 79°51′15″E / 6.90611°N 79.85417°E / 6.90611; 79.85417
Information
TypeGovernment 1AB National School
Mottoවිද්වතා සෑම තැනකදීම පැසසුම් ලබයි
Vidvān Sarvatra Pūjyate
(A scholar is respected everywhere)
Religious affiliation
Buddhist
Established5 January 1954
FounderMawiththara Rewatha Thero
Principal
Ravilal Wijayawansha
Staff350
Grades1 to 13
GenderMale
Enrollment5,000+
LanguageEnglish, Sinhala
ColoursGold, silver and black
   
Songසිරි ලක වොරදන
"Sri Lanka Wardhana"
SportsCricket, rugby, basketball, athletics, football, boxing
AffiliationMinistry of Education
AlumniMahanamians, Golden Army, The Golds
Websitemahanamacollege.lk

Mahanama College is a Buddhist public national school for boys in Kollupitiya, Sri Lanka, established in 1954. It provides primary and secondary education.

Mahanama College is located in Colombo with its main entrance on Richard Aluwihare de Mel Mawatha, Colombo 3. The southern boundary of the campus adjoins Ladies' College, Colombo.[1]

History

Mahanama College was founded on 5 January 1954 by Ven. Mawiththara Rewatha Thero at the Walukarama Temple in Kollupitiya, with an initial enrollment of five students.[2] The school relocated to the site at Walukarama after initially operating from nearby locations, with primary classes temporarily held at Thurstan College. In 1958, the school was registered as a government-assisted junior school.[3]

In the mid-1970s, the Sri Lankan government allocated approximately 2.8 ha (6.9 acres) of land to support expansion.[2] By 1976, the campus included several two-storey academic buildings, with facilities such as additional classrooms and a dental unit.[2]

During the 1990s, the school expanded its extracurricular and inter-school activities. The annual school carnival, Foot-Loose, was introduced, and the "Battle of the Golds", the annual cricket match between Mahanama College and D. S. Senanayake College, started in 1999.[4] A three-storey building incorporating an art gallery was also completed that year.

In 2014, Mahanama College's 60th anniversary and annual prize-giving were held under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Bandula Gunawardena.[5]

Administration

As a national school, the college receives funds from the Ministry of Education, which appoints the principal of the school. The school is divided into a primary school, a middle school, and an upper school, each with its own headteacher.

Mahanama College only admits Buddhist students. Sinhala is the language of instruction in the school, though students can choose between Sinhala and English as their language of instruction for higher education.[6]

Principals

  • Vahalle Dhammananda Thero (1954–1960)
  • J. D. A. Jayakody (1960–1968)
  • N. E. Fernando (1968–1974)
  • T. S. Silva (1974–1976)
  • K. N. P. de Silva (1976–1986)
  • D. G. Sumanasekara (1986–1990)
  • K. K. Ratnadasa (1990–1999)
  • G. Liyanage (1999–2003)
  • W. H. Premalal Kumarasiri (2003–2012)
  • U. M. Prasanna Upashantha (2013–2016)
  • L. M. D. Dharmasena (2016–2020)
  • R. A. R. M. Rathnayake (2020–2021)
  • A. M. A. A. C. Perera (2021–2023)
  • Prabath Withanage (2023–2026)
  • I. K. K. Ravilal Wijayawansha (2026–present)

Sports

Eighteen sports are played at Mahanama College.[7]

Cricket

Mahanama College established its first U11 cricket team in 1979, with the help of coach Vernon Perera and principal K. N. P. de Silva.

Mahanama College has achieved significant success in school cricket, including being crowned the best team of the Western Province in Division One - Tier "A" for the 2023/24 season, winning the SLSCA Under-13 Division II Cricket Tournament, and reaching the U19 Division 1 Limited Over tournament.

Other achievements have included:

Special inter-school events

Mahanama College established their first annual 'Big Match' with President's College, Rajagiriya. The inaugural Big Match between the two schools took place in March 1991.[16] This annual event was held 16 times, of which President's College won 13 matches. [17]

From 2007 onward, Mahanama College's primary annual cricket big match has been the "Battle of the Golds" against D. S. Senanayake College, Colombo,[18] which is held at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground.[19] Ahead of the match, the Old Boys' Association of Mahanama College organises the Golden Parade, a vehicular parade through the streets of Colombo with decorated Double-decker buses, trucks, cars, SUVs, and motorbikes, accompanied by music and dancing.[20][21]

Year Result Ref.
2007 Lost N/a
2008 Won N/a
2009 Lost N/a
2010 Won N/a
2011 Lost N/a
2012 Won [22]
2013 Won [23]
2014 N/a N/a
2015 Lost [24]
2016 Won [24]
2017 Won [25]
2018 Won [26]
2019 Won [27]
2020 Postponed due to COVID-19 N/a
2021 N/a
2022 Won [28]
2023 Won N/a
2024 Won N/a
2025 Won [29]
2026 Won [30]

First held in 2025, the T20 Encounter of Battle of the Golds is a friendly rivalry T20 cricket match between Mahanama College and D. S. Senanayake College, competing for the K. N. P. de Silva Memorial Trophy, named in honour of the former principal of Mahanama College from 1976 to 1986.[31][32][33]

Year Result Ref.
2025 Won [33][34]
2026 Lost [35]

Rugby

Rugby began at Mahanama College in 1986. The school were runners-up in the all-island Division One Tournament in 1994/1995, and again runners-up in the Premier Division 01 – Segment "B" in 2008/2009.

In 2024, the school was crowned champions of the Premier Trophy in 2024, defeating Ananda College, and won the championship title in Division 1 Segment B of the Dialog Schools Rugby League, earning them a spot in the top-tier league for 2025.[36] In the 2025 season, they finished runners-up of The Bowl Segment of Division One Group "A" in the Dialog Schools Rugby League.[37][38] They secured their first victory in the Dialog Schools Rugby League in 2025.[39]

Several alumni of the college have represented the Sri Lanka national rugby union team, including Kapila Knowlton (1994), Mithun Hapugoda and Darshana Dabare (2019).[40][41]

Basketball

In the 2019, 2nd semi-final of the Boys' U17 All Island "B" Division Basketball Championship, the team was awarded 3rd place.[42]

The Battle of the Golds basketball encounter takes place every year where Mahanama College compete with D. S. Senanayake College.[43]

Boxing

The Boxing Committee was founded in 2014. Boxers from Mahanama College became the champions of the 43rd L.V. Jayaweera Interschool meet in 2016,[44] where Kasun Fernando received the "Best Boxer" award, and again at the 46th L.V. Jayaweera Interschool meet in 2022,[45] where Y. M. Anura Yapa, the college's boxing coach, received "Best Coach" award.[46]

In 2019, the team achieved a 3rd place overall at the All-Island Junior Boxing Championship, bringing home a gold, silver, and bronze medal.[47]

W.T.L.M. Abeysekera, R.I.R. Perera, K.A.V.S. Karavita, and H.S. Nambuwasam were among the college's winning boxers in the Stubbs Shield Boxing Championship, in the Junior and Youth Boys categories.[48] St. Sylvester's College was the eventual winner, securing its fourth consecutive title. The tournament saw nearly 500 boxers from 132 schools competing.

Athletics

Athletes from Mahanama College won merit certificate awards in four age groups (under 12, 13, 14, and 15) at the John Tarbet Junior Athletic Meet held in October 2016 at Embilipitiya.[49][50]

Societies

Mahanama College Media Unit

The Media Unit of Mahanama College (MCMU) was established in 1987.[51] The MCMU website was awarded in Sri Lanka's BestWeb.lk web design competition in 2020.[52]

Leo Club

The Mahanama Leo Club was founded in 1987, operating under Leo District 306 D7.[53] In 2024/2025, the club was named the most outstanding school-based Leo Club in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, as well as in Leo District 306 C2.

Notable alumni

Name Notability
Danushka Gunathilaka International cricketer
Dhananjaya de Silva International Cricketer
Chathura Randunu First Class cricketer
Pavan Rathnayake International Cricketer
Sonal Dinusha International Cricketer
Dilesh Gunaratne International cricketer
Lalithamana Fernando International cricketer, member of the Sri Lanka national cricket team who played the first one-day international match in 1989[54][55]
Hasitha Lakmal de Silva International cricketer[56]
Malindu Maduranga First Class cricketer
Heshan Hettiarchchi First Class cricketer
Shasheendra Rajapaksa Minister of Parliament, 6th Chief Minister of Uva, The son of Chamal Rajapaksa
C. D. Wickramaratne 35th Inspector General of Police of Sri Lanka
Eranga Weeraratne Minister of Parliament, engineer, business executive, National List Member of Parliament
Jayantha Kularathna Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy
Channa Weerasuriya Colonel,Sri Lanka Army
Chandana Welikala, Director of Administration,Sri Lanka Air Force
Pradeep Rathnayake Dean of the Department of Languages, Cultural Studies and Performing Arts at University of Sri Jayawardenepura[57]

References

  1. ↑ "Mahanama College · WV43+FW2, ආර් ඒ ද මෙල් මාවත, Colombo, Sri Lanka". Mahanama College · WV43+FW2, ආර් ඒ ද මෙල් මාවත, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "History At Mahanama". Dsynit (Pvt) Limited. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Mahanama College | Mahanama College OBA". Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  4. ↑ "History". Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "President at 60th anniversary celebrations of Colombo Mahanama College". News.lk. Department of Government Information, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "Festival Of Cricket | Mahanama". Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  7. ↑ "Sports – Mahanama College". Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  8. ↑ Silva, Sithija De (11 October 2019). "Photos : Mahanama College Vs St. Sebastian's College, Moratuwa | U17 Cricket Tournament 2019 | Final".
  9. ↑ "Mahanama emerge U-17 champions" – via PressReader.
  10. ↑ "Mahanama 'B' beat last season champs Royal 'B'". Ceylon Today. 20 December 2024.
  11. ↑ "Mahanama, Devapathiraja clash in final today (18)". Ceylon Today. 17 August 2025.
  12. ↑ Sanjeewa, Kanishka (16 August 2025). "Mahanama & Devapathiraja set for U17 Division 1 Final Showdown".
  13. ↑ "Mahanama College wins U19 Tier 'A' Inter-School One Day Cricket Championship".
  14. ↑ "Mahanama power past Richmond to claim U19 Tier a Crown". 3 November 2025.
  15. ↑ https://nccustudios.com/nalanda-centennial-sport-fiesta-2026-boys-t10-tournament-champions/
  16. ↑ "Sri Lanka News Round-up (11 Mar 1998)". 11 March 1998.
  17. ↑ "Mahanama - President's clash for 16th time today". 28 March 2006.
  18. ↑ "DS-Mahanama rivalry set for another bout this weekend". Gold FM. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "Battle of the Golds – Mahanama College". Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  20. ↑ "Mahanama Golden Parade 2015". Daily Mirror.
  21. ↑ "Mahanama College takes the roads with Golden Parade 2019".
  22. ↑ Ariyaratne, Gayan. "Battle of the Golds 2012". www.mcoba.com.au. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  23. ↑ "DS vs Mahanama | Battle of the Golds 2013". Xtream Youth. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  24. 1 2 "Full Scorecard of Mahanama Col vs DS Senanayake 10th Battle of the Gold 2015/16 - Score Report". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  25. ↑ "All Set for the 11th Battle of the Gold as Mahanama lock horns with DS". batsman. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  26. ↑ "12th Battle of the Golds - D.S. Senanayake, Mahanama battle for supremacy". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  27. ↑ Kumarasinghe, Chathura (13 March 2019). "DS-Mahanama lock horns for the 13th time". ThePapare.com. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  28. ↑ "Battle of the Golds ends in draw". Daily News.
  29. ↑ "Gimantha Dissanayake bowls Mahanama to their eighth straight win". 18 May 2025.
  30. ↑ https://www.thepapare.com/battle-of-the-golds-one-day-encounter-d-s-senanayake-college-vs-mahanama-college/
  31. ↑ Walpola, Thilina (23 May 2025). "Inaugural DSS-Mahanama T20 Big Match today".
  32. ↑ "REPLAY – D.S Senanayake College vs Mahanama College - Inaugural T20 Encounter 2025". 23 May 2025.
  33. 1 2 "Mahanama edge DSS to clinch inaugural T20 encounter". Daily News. 25 May 2025.
  34. ↑ "Mahanama edge past D.S. Senanayake on DLS to clinch the inaugural T20 encounter". 24 May 2025.
  35. ↑ https://www.thepapare.com/d-s-senanayake-college-vs-mahanama-college-the-2nd-t20-encounter-match-report/
  36. ↑ Coggins, Nathan (6 June 2025). "Mahanama College Rugby : Rising to the Pinnacle of Schools Rugby In 2025". ThePapare. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  37. ↑ Herath, Kanishka (10 August 2025). "Spirited Mahanama thrash Bowl Champions in Nittawela".
  38. ↑ "REPLAY – Mahanama College vs Science College - Dialog Schools Rugby League 2025". 26 July 2025.
  39. ↑ Coggins, Nathan (6 June 2025). "Mahanama College Rugby : Rising to the Pinnacle of Schools Rugby In 2025". Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  40. ↑ "Mithun Hapugoda | ThePapare Stats Center Rugby". stats.thepapare.com.
  41. ↑ "Sri Lanka Air Force - Guardians of the skies". www.airforce.lk.
  42. ↑ Jayathileke, Vibdua (4 April 2019). "Kingswood to finals, Mahanama to 3rd Place".
  43. ↑ Alles, Tharindhie (30 November 2015). "D.S conquers the Battle of the Golds yet again".
  44. ↑ "Boxing: Mahanama take 43rd L.V. Jayaweera title". Sunday Times.
  45. ↑ "Mahanama wins L.V. Jayaweera Boxing Meet". Daily FT.
  46. ↑ "Mahanama College emerge LV Jayaweera boxing champions". Daily Mirror.
  47. ↑ De Silva, Romario (4 November 2024). "Three-horse race leading into the final rounds".
  48. ↑ "At Stubbs Shield Boxing C'ship: Marathon Day of stellar performances". 4 November 2024.
  49. ↑ "Mahanama grabs 21 merit certificate awards | Daily FT". www.ft.lk.
  50. ↑ "GGU Saman Kumara".
  51. ↑ janidu udithama, Janidu udithma. "Mahanama College Media Unit". https://mcmu.lk/. Retrieved 30 August 2026. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  52. ↑ "Mahanama College Media Unit". Mahanama College Media Unit. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  53. ↑ "Leo Club of Mahanama College". www.mahanamaleos.org.
  54. ↑ "Lalithamana Fernando Profile". ESPNcricinfo.
  55. ↑ "Lalithamana Fernando Sri Lankan Cricket Player Profile, Batting and Bowling stats, Recent form". Crex.com.
  56. ↑ "Hasitha de Silva". ESPNcricinfo.
  57. ↑ "Profile | Pradeep Ratnayake". www.pradeepratnayake.com.
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