Maliyadeva Girls’ College (Sinhala: මලියදේව බාලිකා විද්‍යාලය) is a national Buddhist school in Sri Lanka situated in Kurunegala.

History

Maliyadeva Girls’ College was founded on 1 July 1946 by two teachers. It had 69 students and at the beginning was led by C. E. V. Fernando, who was the acting principal.

The school is closely tied to Maliyadeva College, also known as “Kurunegala Buddhist Institution”, which was founded in 1888 in Bodhiraja Mawatha. The school later moved to Athkanda Vihara and was considered the foundation of Maliyadeva Balika Vidyalaya.

In 1928, Maliyadeva College shifted to its present location on Negombo Road, on land owned by Godphry Madawala. The main building was built in 1938 with the support of Sir John Kothalawala, the Senate member from Kurunegala at that time. In 1941, Maliyadeva College was registered as a mixed school because there wasn’t yet a Buddhist girls’ school in Kurunegala.

In 1942, due to the Second World War, the school buildings and land were taken over by the Army. The school was then moved back to its previous location at Ethkanda Viharaya. The primary section of Maliyadeva College was moved to a new location along Colombo–Kurunegala road in 1944, and this later became the Maliyadeva Girls’ College.

The land on Colombo Road – on which Maliyadeva Girls’ College is situated today – was purchased in 1943 by Sir John Kothalawala, president of YMBA Kurunegala, and was owned by the Young Men’s Buddhist Association (YMBA). At the annual meeting of the YMBA, it was decided to transfer the ownership of this land to the government in order to build Maliyadeva Girls’ College.

Facilities

Facilities include auditorium, playground, swimming pool, basketball court,volleyball court, netball courts, children’s parks, computer labs,dental center,shrine room, bodhiya, gymnasium, audio video rooms, libraries,botanical, zoological, physical and chemical labs, hostel, canteens, co-operative shops, milk bar, a bus.