diff --git a/mlir/include/mlir-c/Pass.h b/mlir/include/mlir-c/Pass.h
--- a/mlir/include/mlir-c/Pass.h
+++ b/mlir/include/mlir-c/Pass.h
@@ -51,9 +51,13 @@
 // PassManager/OpPassManager APIs.
 //===----------------------------------------------------------------------===//
 
-/// Create a new top-level PassManager.
+/// Create a new top-level PassManager with the default anchor.
 MLIR_CAPI_EXPORTED MlirPassManager mlirPassManagerCreate(MlirContext ctx);
 
+/// Create a new top-level PassManager anchored on `anchorOp`.
+MLIR_CAPI_EXPORTED MlirPassManager
+mlirPassManagerCreateOnOperation(MlirContext ctx, MlirStringRef anchorOp);
+
 /// Destroy the provided PassManager.
 MLIR_CAPI_EXPORTED void mlirPassManagerDestroy(MlirPassManager passManager);
 
diff --git a/mlir/lib/CAPI/IR/Pass.cpp b/mlir/lib/CAPI/IR/Pass.cpp
--- a/mlir/lib/CAPI/IR/Pass.cpp
+++ b/mlir/lib/CAPI/IR/Pass.cpp
@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@
   return wrap(new PassManager(unwrap(ctx)));
 }
 
+MlirPassManager mlirPassManagerCreateOnOperation(MlirContext ctx,
+                                                 MlirStringRef anchorOp) {
+  return wrap(new PassManager(unwrap(ctx), unwrap(anchorOp)));
+}
+
 void mlirPassManagerDestroy(MlirPassManager passManager) {
   delete unwrap(passManager);
 }
diff --git a/mlir/test/CAPI/pass.c b/mlir/test/CAPI/pass.c
--- a/mlir/test/CAPI/pass.c
+++ b/mlir/test/CAPI/pass.c
@@ -140,7 +140,8 @@
 
 void testPrintPassPipeline() {
   MlirContext ctx = mlirContextCreate();
-  MlirPassManager pm = mlirPassManagerCreate(ctx);
+  MlirPassManager pm = mlirPassManagerCreateOnOperation(
+      ctx, mlirStringRefCreateFromCString("any"));
   // Populate the pass-manager
   MlirOpPassManager nestedModulePm = mlirPassManagerGetNestedUnder(
       pm, mlirStringRefCreateFromCString("builtin.module"));
@@ -150,7 +151,7 @@
   mlirOpPassManagerAddOwnedPass(nestedFuncPm, printOpStatPass);
 
   // Print the top level pass manager
-  //      CHECK: Top-level: builtin.module(
+  //      CHECK: Top-level: any(
   // CHECK-SAME:   builtin.module(func.func(print-op-stats{json=false}))
   // CHECK-SAME: )
   fprintf(stderr, "Top-level: ");