Visakha Vidyalaya | |
Motto: | Pali පඤ්ඤාය පරිසුජ්ඣති |
Motto Translation: | By wisdom is one cleansed |
Principal: | Manomi Senevirathne |
Grades: | Grade 1 - 13 |
Gender: | Girls |
Lower Age: | 6 |
Upper Age: | 19 |
Enrolment: | 6000+ |
Staff: | 300+ |
Colors: | Gold and blue |
Location: | Vajira Road |
Pushpin Map: | Sri Lanka Colombo Municipality |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Colombo |
Pushpin Label Position: | left |
Website: | http://www.visakhav.org/ |
Visakha Vidyalaya is a girls' school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is a National School managed by the central government providing primary and secondary education.
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 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.[1] Science subjects were introduced to the curriculum in 1946, for the first time in a girls' school in Sri Lanka.
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).
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:
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 |
Name | Entered office | Departed office | |
---|---|---|---|
Bernice T. Banning | |||
J. Ganguli | |||
H. Westbrook | |||
D. C. Devereaux | |||
E. L. Fletcher | |||
G. H. Pearse (Acting) | |||
S. E. Lowe | |||
G. H. Pearse | |||
MacDonald (Act.) | |||
C. L. Motwani | |||
S. G. Pulimood | |||
H. S. Jayasinghe | |||
S. E. Siriwardhana | |||
M. N. Edussuriya | |||
R. M. L. Jayasekara | |||
M. D. I. N. Siriwardhana | |||
R. N. Amarasinghe | |||
C. R. Gunarathne | |||
B. M. Weerasooriya | |||
Sandamali Aviruppola | |||
Manomi Senevirathne |