Vatadage, A Sanctuary of Circular Grace and Ancient Guardians

Vatadage, Habarana Plonnaruwa Batticaloa Road, 26th Mile Post, Polonnaruwa District, North Central, 51000, Sri Lanka

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Introduction

Vatadage is one of the most beautiful structures in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, and one of the most unique architectural creations of the ancient Lankan period. It is a circular structure with a diameter of 18 meters for the outer circular platform, and the four entrances of the second platform are adorned with exquisite moonstones and guardian stones, especially the northern entrance. These guardian stones are placed at the entrances of the stupa and the temple, aiming to protect the main statue inside and prevent evil spirits from entering. Moonstones are symbols related to the concept of reincarnation in Buddhism, but the patterns on these moonstones do not include the image of a bull. This is because during the Polonnaruwa period, Hinduism had already spread in India, and the bull is one of the gods in Hinduism, so the bull representing death was removed from the moonstones. Worshipers are required to wash their feet on the moonstones before entering the stupa. It is said that this temple was built around the 7th century, before Polonnaruwa became the capital. The center of the temple contains a stupa with four Buddha statues, built by the Lankan King Kirti Sri Meghavanna from the Anuradhapura period, and this temple used to be part of an ancient monastery. The carvings on the walls were done during the reign of King Nissanka Malla. The circular design and square portals, the beautiful moonstones and guardian stones, and the dwarfs dancing on the stone steps together create a highly aesthetic and sacred scene.