Who is Kumaratunga Munidasa?
Kumaratunga Munidasa (25 July 1887 – 2 March 1944) was a pioneer Sri Lankan (Sinhala) linguist, grammarian, commentator, writer, poet, and journalist. He founded the Hela Havula movement which sought to remove Sanskrit influences in the Sinhala language promote its correct usage.
What is the contribution of Munidasa?
Munidasa was a member of the Sinhala Maha Sabha of the Swabhasha movement, which started as a protest against the English-educated elites. In the following years, he made several poetry and short stories such as Udaya, Hath Pana, Heen Seraya, Magul Kema and Kiyawana Nuwana.
Where did Munidasa go to college?
Munidasa originally attended Wewurukannala Pirivena to learn Pali and Sanskrit in order to become a Buddhist monk, but his family disapproved. He then switched to the government teacher’s college in Colombo, graduating in 1907 after two years of training.
What did Munidasa mean by the Triple Gem?
Munidasa spoke of language, nation, and the country as a Triple Gem, linking these entities to the Buddhist concept of refuge. To pursue these sources of refuge, he founded the Hela Havula, which consisted of people who shared his views on Sinhala language and literary interest.
Kumaratunga Munidasa was born on the 25th of July 1887 in Dickwella, Matara District, Sri Lanka. He was the son of Palavinnage Dona Gimara Muthukumarana (also known as Dona Baba Nona Muthukumarana) (mother) and Abious Kumaranatunga (father). He was born as the 12th son, in a family of 13 children.
How many years did Munidasa stay in the role of swabhasha chief?
He remained in that role for four years. His first book, Nikaya Sangraha Vivaranaya, was an analysis for a Scripture on the Buddhist Monastic Orders. Munidasa was a member of the Sinhala Maha Sabha of the Swabhasha movement, which started as a protest against the English-educated elites.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgafDSB91D0