Anthropology was introduced to the University of Sri Jayewardenepura as a discipline in 1960 under the auspicious guidance of the eminent scholar Dr. P. E. P. Deraniyagala. Later hard work, dedication and experience of renowned scholars such as Dr. Allex Gunasekara, late Profs. Lakshman Waidyasekara and Prof. Nandasena Rathnapala laid a sound foundation to the development of the discipline. For over 60 years, well qualified department members have been tirelessly training and educating undergraduates to safeguard the different traditional cultural knowledge prevailing in the country and to use that knowledge to develop the country in a sustainable manner. At present this is the only department in the university system that offer both cultural as well as physical anthropology for the anthropology degree programme.