Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 1.djvu/263

 CHAP. VIII. ANURADHAPURA. 229 deserve the greatest attention from the student of Buddhist architecture, and that a vast fund of information may be drawn from them when they have been sufficiently explored and fully delineated and described. The peculiar fortune of Anuradhapura is that it continued the capital of Ceylon for about ten centuries ; and, alone of all Buddhist cities, it retains something like a complete series of the remains of its greatness during that period. We possess, moreover, in the ' Mahawansa ' and other Ceylonese chronicles, a tolerably authentic account of the building of these monuments,- and of the purposes to which they were dedicated. Among the vestiges of its former grandeur still to be found, are the ruins of half-a-dozen or more large dome-shaped stupas or dagabas, and many smaller ones of numerous monasteries and of a terraced enclosure erected to contain the sacred Bo-tree, besides numerous other ruins and antiquities. Among these is the great mound usually called Elala Sohona, or the tomb of the usurper Elala ; but this traditional name is incorrect, for recent excavation has shown that it covers the remains of a large stupa about 180 ft. in diameter possibly the Dakshina stupa referred to in the chronicles. Two of the dagabas are of the largest size known : of one, the Abhayagiri, 1 the dome, continued down to the ground, is exactly hemispherical, and has a diameter of about 328 ft, being thus more than 1000 ft. in circumference, and with the base and spire must have made up a total elevation of about 260 ft., which is not far short of the traditional height of 120 cubits assigned to it in the 'Mahawansa.' 2 It is ascribed to King Walagam-bahu or Vattagamani-Abhaya, who reconquered his kingdom late in the first century B.C. from foreign usurpers who had deposed him and occupied his throne for about fifteen years ; and to commemorate the event he built a vihara on the site of a Jaina temple. Nothing is said about his erecting the dagaba or chaitya, though there must have culverts on a road not traversed by a cart once in six months," and the ruins at Puliyan-kulama were "sadly destroyed for ashlar to build three or four large culverts on a branch road." Besides later damages caused by reckless blast- ing elsewhere, minor ruins also about Anuradhapura disappeared on lands sold to natives prior to 1890. The restorations most to be feared are those by the priests, who "are erecting at Ruwanveli dagaba a series of shrines in a modern style absolutely frightful." General L. de Beylie, ' L' Architecture Hindoue en Extreme-Orient,' p. 364. 1 Until the accuracy, or otherwise of the current identifications are fully in- vestigated, we can only follow the tradi- tional account which, in the case of the more notable dagabas can hardly be in error. The capital and pinnacle of the Abhayagiri were restored by prison labour in 1890. 2 The cubit of Ceylon is nearly 2 ft. 3 in. ; it has sometimes been taken as 2 ft. 3f in. The present total height from the platform to the top of the ruined spire is 232 ft. Smither, 'Archi- tectural Remains : Anuradhapura,' p. 47-