Mahamaya Girls’ College is a prominent girls’ school in Kandy, It was established by Sadachara Bauddha Kulagana Samithiya, a group of middle-class Buddhist women. The College started as a small Buddhist school teaching English to middle-class girls with no financial support from the government or even the Buddhist Theosophical Society.
Sadachara Bauddha Kulagana Samithiya .
Kulgan Samithiya was founded by Bhikku Karadana Attadassi . The Dhammayauttikaramaya, where the Bhikku Attadassi resided, is a temple situated in the Katukele area of Kandy. Daily seeing a larger number of Buddhist girls making their way to the Christian missionary girls’ high school on the hill made Bhikku Attadassi frequently reminded of the urgent need to establish a Buddhist school for girls.
Establish the Kulagana Samithiya
On the 16 March 1924, a full moon poya day, lady Sara Soysa with Bhikku Karandana Attadassi, the chief monk of the Dhammayuttikaramaya of Katukele, and four other women, Chitravo Katugaha Ratawatte, Henrietta Athukorala, Emmie Jayathilake, and Isobelle Wijegunawardene held a meeting in the temple and founded the society of Buddhist women.
Chitravo Katugaha Ratwatte was appointed as the president. Sarah Soysa was chosen as the secretary, Henrietta Athukorala was appointed as the treasurer, and the other two women were made Vice presidents’ constitution of the Kulagana Samithiya made provision for the inclusion of several vice presidents.
Fistful of rice.
The Kulagana Samithiya appealed to all Buddhist women to help establish a school for Buddhist girls. Most women, especially middle-class women in the 1920s, did not work and had to depend on their husbands’ generosity or money set aside for family costs, to donate money.
The Kulagana Samithiya realized the difficulty that women who were financially unstable faced in contributing to the cause. To allow them to participate, they were asked to set aside a fistful of rice in a clay pot every day. From the rice used for cooking the meal, these pots thus filled were later auctioned at carnivals and fairs, and most often netted much more than they were worth.
A student of Mahamaya in the early years of the school writes –
” Each household was given a larger clay pot filled with rice. The rice was sold to collect money. My mother, Bandaramanike Talwatte, collected several pots filled with rice.“
Thus, many Buddhist women in Kandy were actively involved in the cause of female education. The collection of pots of rice was not an innovation of Sarah Soysa and her Kulagana Samithiya.
Most village temples instituted a Kulagana Samithiya to do voluntary work in religious and social activities, and often a Samithiya raised money by selling pots of rice collected by members.
West Cliffe House.
West Cliffe House is the first building of Mahamaya Girls’ College. At a meeting on 22 February 1930, it was decided to buy West Cliffe House, Which belongs to Anagarika Dharmapala together with two and a half acres of land adjoining it that belonged to Authur Fernando. West Cliffe House is right opposite the Kandy lake where the lake bends to form a little pond that had many lotuses and water lilies until about the 1970s.
West Cliffe House is more than a hundred years old now and had been initially built as a bungalow for coffee planters of the 19th century.
On 27 November 1930, at a special ceremony at West Cliffe House, Sara Soysa and Chitravo Ratwatte together kept a pot of milk rice to boil amidst the chanting of pirith. Firstly, Sarah and Bennet Soysa entered the building at the auspicious time. Thereafter the meeting of the society was all held at West Cliffe House, which had been furnished by the Soysa.
The School main hall – Two Storied Building.
Two storied building is the main hall of Mahamaya Girls’ College. Kulagana Samithiya decided to build a two-storied block of classrooms on the land above West Cliffe House and launched funds raising projects. There were contributions in kind too, such as jak trees. The minutes of July 7th, 1931, record such gifts. Mrs. James Fernando had given three Jak trees.
In October 1931 work on the two-storied building was inaugurated with the chanting of pirith. They gave kiribath and sweets to all well-wishers present and about 100 workers. The Kulagana Samithiya held Buddhist ceremonies to make every stage of construction of the two-storied building, for instance, the laying of the foundation stone and starting work on the roof.
Opening of the school.
On 14th, January 1932 amidst the chanting of pirith by the Mahanayakas of Malwatte and Asgiriya temples and Bhikkhu Karadana Attadassi of the Dhammmayuttikaramaya. Leuke Ratwatte Kumarihami cut the ribbon at 10.25 a.m. and her five-year-old granddaughter, Amara Ratwatte walked into school with her father. Following that, Hilda Kularatne became the new school’s first principal. The school opened with five teachers and sixteen students.
In 1938 the Buddhist Girls’ College was renamed as Mahamaya Girls’ College.
1982 – Mahamaya Girls’ College received the National School status.
The principals of Mahamaya Girls’ College.
Mrs. Hilda Westbrook Kularathna
The first principal of Mahamaya Girls’ College was Hilda Westbrook Kularathna. Hilda had read modern languages at Cambridge University before coming to Sri Lanka in 1920. She came to take up the appointment as the principal of Visakha Buddhist Girls’ School in 1920. She was also the founder principal of Ananda Balika Vidyalaya.
Mrs. Bertha Rodgers Ratwatte
Bertha Rodgers Ratwatte graduated from Culcutta University in mathematics, French, and English literature. She stated the advantages of combining Buddhism and Sri Lankan traditions with modern English education. Mrs. Bertha Rodgers even taught special classes in embroidery, dressmaking, painting, and cooking. She introduced a few sports to the school such as tennis, netball, badminton, and Girl Guiding.
Mrs. Soma Pujitha Gunawardena
Students could learn in both Sinhala medium and English medium during her term. Since 1956, when the Advanced Level science stream was established, the number of students selected for university entrance was increased year after year.
Mrs. Lalitha Abeysinhe
She found the school cooperative society. She also started the annual PosonBathi Gee ceremony, the nature club, and the Western band and Eastern orchestras. Moreover, She established a savings fund for the school under her guidance.
Mrs. Neeta Pilapitiya
She introduced table tennis, Cadet Band, and cadeting. In 1982, with the establishment of a new three-storied building including four laboratories, science classes for Advanced Level were expanded.
Mrs. Murial Subasinhe
During her time at the college, she introduced the Colors Awarding Ceremony. An indoor sports room was received for the school.
Mrs. R.W.I. K.Rathnayake
She built two junior laboratories, eight classrooms, a swimming pool, and a new hostel in her period.
Mrs. W.M.B. Wijesihne
She built the auditorium with the best facilities. Mahamaya performed well in both extracurricular and academic activities.
Mrs. I. Withanachchi
Physical resources were also developed during her time, with the construction of a new administrative building for the primary school. The provision of a coach and a bus to school, the construction of greenhouses, and the establishment of a medical center happened in her era.
Mrs. E.W.L.K. Egodawela
During her time, she was responsible for the formation of the Advanced Level Commerce stream in the English medium. She pledged to expand academic and extracurricular activities in school.
Mrs. S. Senadeera
Mrs. S. Senadeera was appointed as the principal of Mahamaya Girls’ College on 9th June 2021. She is now taking all the necessary steps to develop and illuminate the school, including both academic achievements and extracurricular activities, to provide a comprehensive education.
Information from “WITH A FISTFUL OF RICE” by Indrani Meegama
MAHAMAYA GIRL’S COLLEGE KANDY COLLEGE ANTHEM
