Gangaramaya is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Colombo, started by the famous scholar-monk Hikkaduwa Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera in the late 19th Century.

After the Venerable Sri Sumangala, his chief pupil Devundera Sri Jinaratana Nayake Thera took on the administration of the temple. It was he who laid the foundation to convert the little temple to an institute of international reckoning.

The next chief incumbent was the Ven. Devendra Keerthi Sri Sumangala Jinaratana Vacissara Thera, the teacher of the Ven. Galbadia Gnanissara, who worked to make the Gangaramaya what it is today: much more than a temple in the conventional term, but a place of worship, a seat of learning and a cultural center.