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Catussālā

A quadrangular hall, forming a part of the Mahāvihāra and serving as a refectory for the monks. It was erected on one of the spots where the earth trembled when sprinkled with flowers by Mahinda. Mahinda declared that in the time of the three previous Buddhas, gifts, brought from all parts of the Island, were collected there and offered to the Buddhas and their followers (Mhv.xv.47 ff). It is not known who built the hall, but it was restored by Vasabha (Mhv.xxxv.88). The Mahāvaṃsa-Ṭīkā says (p.307) that earth from under the lintel of the Catussālā was used to make the vessels in which were placed the utensils employed in the coronation ceremony of the kings of Sri Lanka.