Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera
Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera or Mohottiwatte Gunananda Thera () (9 February 1823 – 21 September 1890) was a Sri Lankan Sinhala Buddhist orator. He is known for leading the Buddhist side in debates between Buddhists and Christians in Baddegama, Udanwita, Waragoda, Liyanagemulla, Gampola, and Panadura, where the most famous of the debates took place. As a result of the debates, Buddhism in Sri Lanka saw a revival. Early life Gunananda Thera was born in 1823 to a rich Buddhist Sinhala Salagama caste family in a village called Migettuwatta or Mohottiwatta, near Balapitiya. His secular name was Wanigamuni Miguel Mendes Wimalarathna. Taught first by his parents, he exhibited oratorical skills from a young age. He had close contact with a Roman Catholic priest, who resided in a nearby church, and gained knowledge of the Bible and Christian doctrine. Originally intending to become a priest, he changed his mind after coming into contact with Buddhist monks from the nearby temples. He was ordained while in his twenties in the Dodanduwa Gala Uda Vihara by Venerable Thelikada Sonutthara Thera, the chief incumbent of the temple. His eloquent first sermon was given on the night that he was ordained; the people gathered in the temple exclaimed that the young Thera would cause Buddhism to prosper in the country and pledged their support for his religious work. Subsequently, he gained proficiency in Buddhism and oriental languages while he was in the temple. While he was reading the magazine Bauddha Sahodaraya (Sinhalese: Buddhist Brotherhood), he learned that Buddhists in Colombo were subject to religious discrimination by Christians. Disturbed by the news, Gunananda Thera decided to move to Colombo and reside in Deepaduttaaramaya in Kotahena, the first Buddhist temple in Colombo, which was 300 years old. From there, Gunananda Thera began his speeches defending Buddhism against the arguments of the Christian missionaries. Debates Christian missionaries propagated their religion through pamphlets and books. Rev. D.J. Gogerly of the Wesleyan mission published Christian Pragnapthi in 1849. Gunananda Thera replied with Durlabdi Vinodini in 1862 for Buddhists. Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera wrote Christiani Vada Mardanaya and Samyak Darshanaya in 1862–1863. Soon after, these publications were replaced by public debates. The Baddegama debate originated from an argument arising between a young monk named Sumangala and a Christian priest in the temple of Baddegama. Gunananda Thera and many other monks, including Bulatgama Dhammalankara, Sri Sumanatissa, Kahawe Nanananda, Hikkaduwe Sumangala, Weligama Sri Sumangala, and Pothuwila Gunaratana, participated in the debate. The debate was not held face-to-face. This was because if the behaviour of the Christian debaters had led to conflicts, the Buddhists, as the majority, could be blamed. Thus, the two parties agreed to carry out the debate in writing. Originally, the text was composed in Baddegama, though later writings were carried out in Galle. The Waragoda debate was also held in 1865. A third debate was conducted in Udanwita in Hathara Korele in present-day Kegalle District. The Creator, the Redeemer and the Eternal Heaven were the debate topics. The debate was carried