# Visakha Vidyalaya

Visakha Vidyalaya (Sinhala: විශාඛා විද්‍යාලය, Tamil: விசாகா வித்தியாலயம்) is a girls' school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is a National School managed by the central government providing primary and secondary education.

## History

The school was established in 1917 by Celestina Dias as the Buddhist Girls College in a house called 'The Firs' in Turret Road, Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was the desire of Dias to train the school girls according to the Buddhist moral values and principles. In 1927 it moved to its present premises in Vajira Road, Colombo and was named Visakha Vidyalaya, after Visakha, a disciple of the Lord Buddha, by Lady Herbert Stanley the wife of the Governor of Ceylon at that time. In 1939 the school was affiliated with Lady Irwin College, New Delhi to conduct courses in Home economics. Science subjects were introduced to the curriculum in 1946, for the first time in a girls' school in Sri Lanka.

## School motto

The school's motto is from the Alavaka Sutta in the Sutta Pitaka of the Tripitaka. When the yakkha Alavaka first confronted Buddha, he threatened to exterminate Buddha unless he, Buddha were to answer all his questions. One of the questions asked was "Kathansu Parisujjhati" (how is one cleansed) to which Buddha replied, "Paññaya Parisujjhati" (by wisdom is one cleansed).

## Houses

All the current house names are derived from the names of four past principals of the school, Jeremias Dias the founder of the school, and Sir Don Baron Jayatilaka, who was once the patron of the school. There are six houses at Visakha:
| House Name | House Colours |
| Dawes | Yellow and green |
| Dias | Red and black |
| Jayatilake | Blue and yellow |
| Motwani | Orange and black |
| Pulimood | Purple and gold |
| Weerasooriya | Light blue and black |

## Past principals

| Name | Entered office | Departed office |
| Bernice T. Banning | Jan. 1917 | Dec. 1917 |
| J. Ganguli | Jan. 1918 | Mar. 1920 |
| H. Westbrook | Mar. 1920 | Jan. 1921 |
| D. C. Devereaux | Feb. 1921 | May 1922 |
| E. L. Fletcher | May 1922 | May 1924 |
| G. H. Pearse (Acting) | May 1924 | May 1925 |
| S. E. Lowe | May 1925 | Sept.1926 |
| G. H. Pearse | Sept.1926 | Apr. 1933 |
| MacDonald (Act.) | May 1933 | Jun. 1933 |
| C. L. Motwani | Jun. 1933 | Apr. 1945 |
| S. G. Pulimood | May 1945 | Jul. 1967 |
| H. S. Jayasinghe | Jul. 1967 | Jun. 1983 |
| S. E. Siriwardhana | July 1983 | Dec. 1987 |
| M. N. Edussuriya | Jan. 1988 | Oct. 1999 |
| R. M. L. Jayasekara | Oct. 1999 | Nov. 2001 |
| M. D. I. N. Siriwardhana | Nov. 2001 | July 2003 |
| R. N. Amarasinghe | July 2003 | July 2007 |
| C. R. Gunarathne | July 2007 | Oct. 2008 |
| B. M. Weerasooriya | Oct. 2008 | Dec 2008 |
| Sandamali Aviruppola | Dec. 2008 | Nov. 2021 |
| Manomi Senevirathne | Jan. 2022 | present |

## Notable alumni

* Kusala Abhayavardhana, social worker and member of parliament - Borella (1970-77)
* Senali Fonseka, actress
* Kshanika Hirimburegama, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Colombo
* Oshadie Kuruppu, Sri Lankan badminton player
* Kamini Nirmala Mendis, professor emeritus at the University of Colombo and former malaria expert at the World Health Organization
* Sachini Nipunsala, TV presenter, dancer
* Sabeetha Perera, film actress
* Sumitra Peries, filmmaker and Sri Lanka's Ambassador to France
* Hirunika Premachandra, politician
* Jayathri Samarakone, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Singapore
* Inoka Sathyangani, film director and producer
* Ruchira Silva, fashion designer
* Deepali Wijesundera, Judge of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka
* Ganga Seneviratne, Sri Lankan national swimmer
* Yohani de Silva, singer