The Chancellorship of Kelaniya University is changed.

Marking a significant change in the Chancellorship of the University of Kelaniya, on July 2, 2026, His Excellency Anura Kumara Dissanayake, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, appointed the Most Venerable Narampanawe Ananda Anunayake Thero, the Anunayake of the Asgiri Chapter of the Shyamopali Maha Nikaya of the Mahavihara Vanshika, as the new Chancellor. This new appointment comes as the term of the Most Venerable Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakkhitha Nayaka Thero, Chief Incumbent of Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya and Senior Professor in the Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies, who held the position since November 2021, concludes.

This administrative change, made by presenting the official letter of appointment at the Presidential Secretariat, has garnered significant attention in the country's higher education sector as well as within the Buddhist educational heritage.

With the new appointment, the Most Venerable Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakkhitha Nayaka Thero, who bids farewell to the Chancellorship of the University of Kelaniya, served in that distinguished position for approximately four years and eight months. Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed him to this position in the first week of November 2021 to fill the vacancy created by the demise of the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Kusaladhamma Nayaka Thero, who had held the Chancellorship for a long period prior. Venerable Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakkhitha Thero, who had a long-standing academic and administrative association with the University of Kelaniya, is renowned as a revered monk who rendered an incomparable service to the advancement of Buddhist scholarship, serving as the Head of the Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies and as a Senior Professor at the university. The service rendered during his tenure for the honor of the university was a great support to the Vidyalankara heritage.

Looking at the history of the University of Kelaniya, which evolved from the historic Vidyalankara Pirivena and became a full-fledged state university in 1978, it is evident that leading erudite Maha Sangha of this country have provided leadership for the Chancellorship. The first Chancellor of the university, from 1978 until September 18, 1997, was the world-renowned Buddhist scholar, the Most Venerable Dr. Walpola Rahula Nayaka Thero. Subsequently, on September 19, 1997, the Most Venerable Dr. Welamitiyawe Kusaladhamma Nayaka Thero was appointed as the second Chancellor and held the position with great honor until his demise on October 27, 2021. Following this historical sequence, the Most Venerable Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakkhitha Thero served as the third Chancellor of the university, and the Most Venerable Narampanawe Ananda Anunayake Thero, appointed by the current President, marks the fourth Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya.

In the state university system of Sri Lanka, the Chancellorship is an appointment made under the direct powers vested in the Executive President, and it is largely considered a nominal position, honorary, prestigious, and limited to ceremonial occasions. The daily executive, academic, and administrative affairs of the university are managed by the Vice-Chancellor and the Governing Council, while the Chancellor's primary role is to preside over annual convocation ceremonies and to symbolize the Buddhist academic heritage that forms the foundation of the university. The appointment of leading Maha Sangha to the Chancellorship is a traditional practice to continuously advance the strong foundation and Buddhist heritage that the University of Kelaniya inherited from Pirivena education. This safeguards the historical identity of the university and provides spiritual as well as academic blessings to the student community and the faculty.

From a political and administrative perspective, appointments to Chancellorships in state universities are directly influenced by the will and policy decisions of the incumbent government and the Executive President. Accordingly, the appointment in 2021 occurred under the then-Rajapaksa government, while this new change in 2026 is a normal administrative process that took place under the National People's Power government led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. No controversial situation, conflict, or administrative weakness regarding this transfer of office has been reported by the media, and it can be considered an amicable transition that occurred under normal presidential executive powers following a change in government. It is also clear that such changes in the Chancellorship do not have any direct impact on the daily academic activities of the university, the student community, or course management.

Since this appointment occurred very recently, on July 2, 2026, the official website of the University of Kelaniya still lists the Most Venerable Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakkhitha Nayaka Thero as the current Chancellor on its history pages. It is normal for official records and websites to take a few days or weeks to update for such high-level state appointments, and it is expected that the university administration will officially update it in the coming days. Nevertheless, with the new arrival of the Most Venerable Narampanawe Ananda Anunayake Thero of the Asgiri Chapter, the university community as well as external scholars express confidence that the historical educational identity and Buddhist academic tradition of the University of Kelaniya will continue unbroken.