Ananda College (Sinhala: ආනන්ද විද්‍යාලය), Colombo, is a national school for boys, with a student population exceeding 8,000 across 13 grades from primary to secondary classes, on a campus of 20 acres (81,000 m²) in the suburb of Maradana. Ananda College intercepted as a result of Buddhist Renaissance taken place in the 19th century stands still as a light house to the nation nurturing countless erudite scholars, professionals, patriotic heroes and well-disciplined citizens who serve for the name of the Motherland Sri Lanka. It was established on November 1, 1886, by the Buddhist Theosophical Society led by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott and became a government school in 1961. As of 2013 an academic staff of more than 250 was led by Mr.