Rahula College ( Sinhala: රාහුල විද්‍යාලය ''Rāhulaa Vidyālaya'') (

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

: ராஹுல வித்தியாலம் ''Rāhula vittiyālam'') is a boys' school in Sri Lanka, located in Matara district. Though it was originally a private

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

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.

History

In 1921, Frederick Gordon Pearce (principal of

Mahinda College Mahinda College is a Buddhist boys' school in Galle, Sri Lanka. The school was established on 1 March 1892 by the Buddhist Theosophical Society led by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott. As of May 2022 it is a national school providing primary and seco ...

Galle Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Southern ...

), 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. Matara district

Principals

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 St. Thomas' College is a government primary and secondary school for boys in Matara, Sri Lanka. The college was initially founded in 1844 as a private Anglican school by Rev. Fr. N. J. Ondatjee. a missionary of the Christian Missionary Society o ...

. In 2012 Rahula College and Dharmapala College commenced an annual match, the Battle of Golden Lions (). The inaugural match was held on

Uyanwatta Stadium Uyanwatta Stadium ( si, උයන්වත්ත ක්‍රීඩාංගණය , ta, உயன்வத்டா அரங்கம்) is a multi-use stadium in Matara, Sri Lanka. It is situated on the southern tip of Sri Lanka. The Uy ...

, with Rahula College hosting the event.

Houses

There are four student

houses A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

in the college, named after historical figures in South Asia. They are: *Ashoka : :Named after

Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

. The house colour is red. *Gemunu : :Named after

Dutugamunu Dutugamunu the Great (, , also spelled as ''Dutthagamani''), also known as Dutthagamani Abhaya ("fearless Gamini"), was the greatest king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC. He is renowned for reuniting the whole island ...

. The house colour is blue. *Parakrama : :Named after

Parakramabahu I Parākramabāhu I ( Sinhala: මහා පරාක්‍රමබාහු, 1123–1186), or Parakramabahu the Great, was the king of Polonnaruwa from 1153 to 1186. He oversaw the expansion and beautification of his capital, constructed extensiv ...

. The house colour is yellow. *Vijaya : :Named after

Prince Vijaya According to the ''Mahāvaṃsa'' chronicle, Prince Vijaya (c. 543–505 BCE) was the first Sinhalese king. Legends and records from both Indian and Sri Lanka sources say that he along with several hundred followers came to Sinhala after they ...

. The house colour is green.

Notable alumni

Alumni of Rahula College Matara are called Rahulians.Rahula College, Matara:Ninety years past a stigma neutralized
Following is a list of some notable alumni:

References

External links

*
Rahula College Old Boys Association
{{Education in Sri Lanka 1923 establishments in Ceylon Boys' schools in Sri Lanka Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka Educational institutions established in 1923 National schools in Sri Lanka Schools in Matara, Sri Lanka