With the sole aim of creating a generation of monks who would be useful to the Sambuddha Sasana and the motherland, the Venerable Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangalabhidhana Nayaka Thero, who was inspired by the Bodhisattva, founded the Vidyodaya Pirivena in 1873 AD. At the same time, the Vidyodaya Library was established and has since grown to have an extensive collection.

At present, the library collection is enriched with over 20,000 volumes covering ancient literature in Sinhala, Pali, Sanskrit, Prakrit, English, as well as subject areas such as history, Ayurveda, geography, technology.