| Warakagoda Gnanarathana Thero | |
| Birth Date: | 1942 3, df=yes |
| Nationality: | Sri Lankan |
| Religion: | Buddhism |
| School: | Theravada |
| Lineage: | Asgiriya Chapter of Siyam Nikaya |
| Mahanayaka of the Asgiriya Chapter of Siyam Nikaya | |
| Location: | Kandy |
| Occupation: | 22nd Mahanayke Thera of Asgiriya Chapter,The Venerable Chancellor of the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka |
Warakagoda Gnanarathana Thero (born 18 March 1942) is a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk who is the present Mahanayaka Thero of the Asgiriya chapter of Siam Nikaya. He was appointed as the 22nd Mahanayake Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter on 7 April 2016, by the Karaka Sangha Sabha of Asgiriya chapter, after the demise of Galagama Sri Aththadassi Mahanayaka Thera.[1] [2] [3] [4] He is also the Chancellor of the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka of Sri Lanka.
Gnanarathana thero is known for voicing his right-wing political proclivities in public. In 2017, he issued a statement condoning the views of the hard-line nationalist monk Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara.[5] At a public event in 2019, Gnanarathana thero endorsed the views of those who called for the stoning of a Muslim doctor accused of sterilization of Sinhala women as well as the boycotting of Muslim businesses, stating that Muslims are sterilizing Sinhalese through food sold in their shops.[6] At the same event, he endorsed the purported presidential candidacy of Chamal Rajapaksa.[7] [8] The ensuing public backlash[9] forced Gnanarathana thero to deny his previous statements.[10]