Polonnaruwa Vatadage

The Polonnaruwa Vatadage is widely venerated as the best example of buildings constructed to protect small stupas, but which in this case is also a magnificent edifice in its own right. Believed to have been built to hold the tooth relic of the Buddha, it stands among the ruins of Polonnaruwa in the Dalada Maluva, which contains some of the oldest and most sacred monuments in the city. Legend also has it that alms bowl used by the Buddha himself were enshrined here, which would have made the Polonnaruwa Vatadage one of the most venerated buildings in the country. Elaborate stone carvings, including the moonstone at the northern entrance and the two guard stones at the eastern entrance, are some of the best examples that illustrate the history of Polonnaruwa.