Walpola Rahula Thero, was a world renowned, erudite Buddhist Scholar, of Sri Lanka. He was the first Buddhist monk to enter University Education from Sri Lanka. Known for his critical discourse of buddhism and many publications to educate the world and social activism, thero was the founder of the Walpola Rahula Trust fund. This trust fund established the Walpola Rahula Institute for Buddhist Studies which later on evolved to presently known Walpola Rahula Institute, under the leadership of Ven. Galkande Dhammananda Thero.