| Background: |
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| Most Venarable Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero(අතිපූජනීය කිරිබත්ගොඩ ඤාණානන්ද හිමි) | |
| Religion: | Buddhism |
| School: | Theravada |
| Sect: | Amarapura Nikaya (for registration purposes) |
| Order: | Sri Kalyaniwansa Nikaya |
| Location: | Sri Lanka |
| 1.Most Venerable(අතිපූජනීය)2.Anunayaka Thero of the Amarapura Sri Kalyaniwansa Nikaya(අමරපුර ශ්රී කලයාණිවංශ නිකායේ අතිපූජනීය අනුනායක හිමි)3.Founder & Chief Advisor of Mahamevnawa Maha Sangha Saba(මහමෙව්නාව මහා සංඝ සභාවේ ප්රධාන අනුශාසක සහ නිර්මාතෘවර) | |
| Birth Date: | 1 July 1961 |
| Birth Place: | Iriyawetiya, Kiribathgoda, Sri Lanka |
| Nationality: | Sri Lankan |
| Teacher: | Dambagasare Shri Sumedhankara Thero and Dikwelle Pannananda Thero |
| Initiation: | Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery |
| Website: | https://mahamevnawa.lk/ |
Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero (born: 1 July 1961) is a Sri Lankan monk. He is the founder of Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery[1] and Shraddha Media Network.Many people address Him as "Pinwath Loku Swamin Wahanse(පින්වත් ලොකු ස්වාමීන් වහන්සේ)"
Gnanananda became a monk at age 17 on 26 March 1979 under Dambagasare Sumedhankara Thero and Dikwelle Pannananda Thero at Seruwavila. He received a traditional Buddhist academic education and entered the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.[2] He founded Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery in August 1999 in Waduwava, Polgahawela. Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery now has more than 75 branch monasteries in Sri Lanka and more than 30 overseas monasteries in Canada,[3] the United States,[4] Australia,[5] the United Kingdom,[6] Germany[7] Italy, Dubai, South Korea and India.
He now teaches Buddhism (Theravada), emphasizing the need to practice it in pure form (i.e. as in the Sutras) and casting off what is not advocated by the Buddha.
Thousands of practicing Buddhists are associated with Mahamevnawa.
"Maha Sthupa Wandanawa"[8] conducted on 2 February 2008 at Anuradhapura with the participation of over 100,000 disciples, and "Somawathi Stupa Vandanawa"[9] conducted on 8 May 2010 at Somawathiya temple with the participation of over 1,000,000 devotees, bear evidence for the popularity his Damma program has achieved.
Gnanananda reintroduced the usage of "Namo Buddhaya" to the Sri Lankan Buddhists as a way of Buddhist greeting. Also, there was a weekly dhamma discussion program telecasted on TNL television named "Namo Buddhaya" in which Thero participated. He was accused of the death of Gangodawila Soma Thero to take his place in the country.[10]
Gnanananda Thero has written many books based on the teachings of Buddha and also translated many pali written books like Mahavamsa and Nettipakarana. These publications are aimed to emphasize uncontaminated Buddhism that can be understood by anyone who reads it.
The thera has also instigated a culture in Sri Lanka (traditionally known as Dhamma Dīpa – Island full of Buddha's Teachings) to teach the Buddha's teachings in the national language of Sinhala (සිංහල), even though the teachings are traditionally taught in the Pali language. Many disciples believe that they are now able to teach the Buddha's teachings with the right understanding.