Hatadage

Hatadage, meaning shrine of sixty relics, is a historic sacred structure located in the city of Polonnaruwa. King Nissanka Malla is said to be the builder of this architecture according to historical sources Rajaveliya and Poojavaliya. Atadage lies on the west of Hatadage and Galpotha stone inscription on the east. According to the Galpotha inscription it is mentioned that Hatadage was built in sixty hours of time. Another theory states that it is so named because it held sixty relics since the Sinhalese word “Hata” means sixty and “Dage” means relic shrine. 

This 120 feet lengthy and 90 feet wide construction is built using stones, bricks and wood. Early two-storey structure has been destroyed and the lower storey remains. The main entrance is on the south directly facing the entrance of Polonnaruwa Vatadage decorated with stone carvings and moonstone. There is another small doorway on the east of this building.  

The shrine was covered with a wooden roof whereas nothing remains now. The outer layer of the walls are covered by stone plates and the base is decorated with friezes of lotus flowers and lions.

Three historically important Buddha sculptures carved out of granite rock are placed at the center of the chamber of worship. The middle statue is 9 feet in height and the other two are 7.5 feet tall each. The main entrance leads to a small chamber containing six stone columns and a staircase to the upper storey. The main square shaped chamber contained  sixteen stone columns and four windows. The sides are 11 metres in length.

This architecture remains to be a fascinating structure of the Polonnaruwa era and an ideal location to explore ancient relic shrines.

Atadage

The house of eight relics, the first temple to hold tooth relics of Lord Buddha is known to be Atadage which is situated on the northwest side of Vatadage in the ancient kingdom Polonnaruwa. “Ata” means eight in Sinhala and it is believed that Atadage was built in eight days could be the reason for the name. This religious structure belonging to the 11th century was built by King Vijayabahu I and the only living architecture of his monarchy.

This an architecture with two storeys and the lower storey has 54 elaborate carved granite columns which are almost 9 feet tall. The upper storey is made out of wood, the tooth relics were kept here for safety purposes. The moonstone found here resembles the art of the Anuradhapura era. 

The Velikkara inscription stone on the left to this building  states that protection of tooth relics were done by hired tamil army and not by Sinhalese and the lettering is in tamil language.

Vatadage

Vatadage is one of the unique, ancient buddhist architectures of Sri Lanka.  The best example of a vatadage is mostly believed to be the Polonnaruwa Vatadage, where the entire structure is decorated with stone carvings of the 12th century.

This monument was built by Parakramabahu I to hold the Relic of the tooth of the Buddha says the text ‘Chulavamsa’. But other texts such as the ‘Rajavaliya’ and the ‘ Poojavaliya’ claim that it was built by King Nissanka Malla and used as the depository for the alms bowl used by Lord Buddha. 

The Polonnaruwa Vatadage has two stone platforms which are lower and raised upper platform decorated with elaborate stone carvings. 

The lower platform is about 120 feet in diameter and approximately 4 feet in height from the ground level, consisting of a single entrance facing the north and decorated with friezes of lions and dwarfs and topped by an abstract lotus design. 

The upper platform contains the stupa surrounded by a circular brick wall and four doorways facing the four cardinal directions. These four entrances are adorned with magnificent stone carvings of moonstone at the northern entrance and guardian stones on the eastern entrance flanked by king cobra figures with seven hooded cobra head guardstones. There are four Buddha statues constructed on the wall facing each entrance of the upper platform. 

Three concentric rows of stone columns had also been positioned here, presumably to support a wooden dome. The current position of this architecture does not have its wooden roof but still can find large pillars that support the roof structure. 

Moreover, the four entrances of the complex display some exemplary sculptures of the Lord Buddha in the seated position carved from solid rock, along with other unique features that showcase some of the finest artistry in the whole kingdom.

Royal Council Chamber

A UNESCO World Heritage site in Polonnaruwa District is the King's Council Chamber which is called as Raja Vaishyabhujanga Mandapaya which is believed to be council chamber of King Parakramabahu the Great. This 23 metres long and 10 metres building, can be seen in front of the Royal Place of King  Parakramabahu I.

The is a large staircase on the centre of the structure where both sides are decorated with amazing stone carvings. There are two gracefully carved moonstones located at the beginning and middle of the staircase. The upper level consists of four rows of stone pillars 12 on each row.

Even though the wooden roof of the building is no more but the beautifully carved pillars can be seen. This is a historic building where the greatest king of that century used to hold the great king used to be seated and hold council.