Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera
| Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera පූජ්ය මිගෙට්ටුවත්තේ ගුණානන්ද හිමි |
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| Religion | Theravada Buddhism |
| School | Theravada |
| Personal | |
| Born |
February 9, 1823 Mohottiwatta (Migettuwatta), Balapitiya, British Ceylon |
| Died | September 21, 1890 (aged 67) Colombo, British Ceylon |
| Senior posting | |
| Based in | Deepaduttaaramaya, Kotahena, Colombo |
| Title | Waadibhasinha (Lion in oratory) |
| Religious career | |
| Teacher | Thelikada Sonutthara Thera |
Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera or Mohottiwatte Gunananda Thera (Sinhala: පූජ්ය මිගෙට්ටුවත්තේ ගුණානන්ද හිමි) (February 9, 1823, Balapitiya – 21 September 1890, Colombo) was a Sri Lankan ( Sinhala ) Buddhist orator. He is known for leading the Buddhist side in debates that occurred between the Buddhists and the Christians in Baddegama, Udanwita, Waragoda, Liyanagemulla, Gampola, and in the most famous of the debates in Panadura. As a result of the debates Buddhism in Sri Lanka saw a revival. After reading a pamphlet on the debates published in United States, Henry Steel Olcott arrived in Sri Lanka in 1880.
He was born 1823 in a village called Migettuwatta or Mohottiwatta near Balapitiya to a rich Buddhist Salagama caste family. He was taught first by his parents and exhibited oratory skills from a young age. He had close contact with a Roman Catholic priest who resided in a nearby church, and gained the knowledge of the Bible and Christian doctrine. He had an intention of becoming a Christian priest but changed his mind after coming into contact with Buddhist monks of the nearby temples. He was ordained while in his twenties in Dodanduwa Gala Uda vihara by Venerable Thelikada Sonutthara Thera, the chief incumbent of the temple. His eloquent first sermon was given in the night that he ordained; the people gathered in the temple exclaimed that the young Thera would cause Buddhism to prosper in the country and pledged their support of his religious work. Subsequently, he gained proficiency in Buddhism and oriental languages while he was in the temple.
One day while he was reading a magazine Bauddha Sahodaraya (Sinhalese Buddhist Brotherhood) he learned that Buddhists in Colombo were subject to religious discrimination by the Christians. Disturbed by the news Gunananda Thera decided to moved to Colombo, and reside in Deepaduttaaramaya in Kotahena,the first Buddhist temple in Colombo with a history of 300 years. From there the Thera begin his speeches defending Buddhism against the arguments of the Christian missionaries.
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