The academic tradition and the history of the Faculty of Humanities dates back to the inception of the Vidyālankāra Pirivena. The Vidyalankara Higher Educational centre was established in 1875 by the initiative of The Most Venerable Sri Dharmālōka Thero and upgraded as the Vidyalankara University in 1959. The Most Venerable Kiriwaththuduwe Sri Pangnāsāra Thero was the first Vice Chancellor of the Vidyalankara University. Today, the former faculties of the Vidyalankara Pirivena, the Faculty of Languages, the Faculty of Buddhism and the Faculty of Arts come under the aegis of the Faculty of Humanities.