exaggeration: at any rate the building suffered from fire and
underwent numerous reconstructions and modifications. King Mahâsena
(301 A.D.) destroyed it and then repenting of his errors rebuilt it,
but the ruins now representing it at Anuradhapura, which consist of
stone pillars only, date from the reign of Parâkrama Bâhu I (about
A.D. 1150). The immense pile known as the Ruwanweli Dagoba, though
often injured by invaders in search of treasure, still exists. The
somewhat dilapidated exterior is merely an outer shell, enclosing a
smaller dagoba.[37] This is possibly the structure erected by
Duṭṭhagâmaṇi, though tradition says that there is a still
smaller edifice inside. The foundation and building of the original
structure are related at great length.[38] Crowds of distinguished
monks came to see the first stone laid, even from Kashmir and
Alasanda. Some have identified the latter name with Alexandria in
Egypt, but it probably denotes a Greek city on the Indus.[39] But in
any case tradition represents Buddhists from all parts of India as
taking part in the ceremony and thus recognizing the unity of Indian
and Sinhalese Buddhism.

Of great importance for the history of the Sinhalese Church is the
reign of Vaṭṭagâmaṇi Abhaya who after being dethroned by Tamils
recovered his kingdom and reigned for twelve years.[40] He built a new
monastery and dagoba known as Abhayagiri,[41] which soon became the
enemy of the Mahâvihâra and heterodox, if the latter is to be considered
orthodox. The account of the schism given in the Mahâvaṃsa[42] is
obscure, but the dispute resulted in the Piṭakas, which had hitherto
been preserved orally, being committed to writing. The council which
defined and edited the scriptures was not attended by all the
monasteries of Ceylon, but only by the monks of the Mahâvihâra, and the
text which they wrote down was their special version and not universally