The University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, has its origin in the historic Vidyālaṅkāra Pirivena, founded in 1875, as a centre of learning for Buddhist monks. It was one of the two great national centres of traditional higher learning at the time, where some of the most eminent Western and Indian scholars, in addition to local pundits, had studied and taught. In 1959, the Vidyālaṅkāra Pirivena became the Vidyālaṅkāra University. In 1972, it became the Vidyālaṅkāra Campus of the University of Ceylon, and in 1978, renamed the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. Since its inception,

the Vidyālaṅkāra/Kelaniya University has been an international centre of excellence for Buddhist Studies.