Polonnaruwa Vatadage is a circular relic house dating to the 12th century and located within the Dalada Maluva sacred quadrangle of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa.

It is widely regarded as the most architecturally refined and best-preserved example of a vatadage in Sri Lanka.

The monument is generally attributed to the reign of King Parakramabahu I, who is believed to have built it to enshrine the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha.

Later stone inscriptions record embellishments by King Nissanka Malla, while some traditions also associate the structure with the enshrinement of the Buddha’s alms bowl.

The vatadage is arranged around a central stupa enclosed by two concentric stone platforms designed to control movement and ritual focus.

The lower terrace, measuring about 120 feet in diameter, is reached through a single entrance that guides visitors toward the inner shrine.

Above it, an upper platform about 80 feet across is accessed through four entrances aligned with the cardinal directions.

At the centre of the upper platform are four seated Buddha statues carved in the dhyana mudra, each facing one of the entrances.

The monument is especially noted for its stone craftsmanship, including finely carved moonstones, guardstones, floral panels and lotus-based columns.

Three concentric rows of stone pillars once supported a wooden domed roof, although only the pillars of the upper platform remain standing today.

The outer wall of the upper terrace is decorated with detailed relief carvings of lions and floral motifs that reflect the high artistic standards of the Polonnaruwa period.

Thivanka Image House is a Buddhist shrine within the Jetavanarama monastery complex in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, and it is known for its distinctive architecture and wall paintings.

The brick structure was built in the 12th century during the reign of King Parakramabahu I and is a notable example of Gedige-style architecture, characterised by thick walls and a vaulted roof.

The name Thivanka, meaning “thrice bent”, refers to the standing Buddha statue inside, which is depicted with bends at the neck, waist and knees.

The exterior is decorated with stucco carvings of deities, lions and guardian figures, while Korawak Gala balustrades and carved guardstones mark the ceremonial entrance.

Inside, the central Buddha statue is believed to have originally stood about eight metres tall, although damage over time has reduced it to approximately 6.6 metres.

The walls of the mandapa and entrance porch are covered with frescoes illustrating Jataka tales, which narrate the Buddha’s previous lives, alongside high-relief stucco figures of dwarfs, celestial beings and mythological motifs.

The murals use red, yellow and green earth pigments and combine classical Buddhist imagery with local folk traditions and Hindu artistic influences.

Somawathiya Rajamaha Viharaya is an ancient Buddhist temple dating to the 2nd century BCE, located on the left bank of the Mahaweli River within Somawathiya National Park in the Polonnaruwa district.

The site is believed to enshrine the sacred right canine tooth relic of the Buddha, making it one of Sri Lanka’s most important pilgrimage centres.

The main stupa, known as the Somawathiya Chaitya, is traditionally said to have been built under the patronage of Princess Somawathi, the sister of King Kavantissa, with support from Prince Giri Abhaya.

According to tradition, the relic was brought from the Naga Kingdom by Arahat Mahinda and enshrined at Somawathiya at the request of the princess.

The temple complex consists of the central stupa, five associated viharas and archaeological remains including moonstones, Buddha footprint slabs and stone inscriptions.

Surrounded by dense forest and the floodplains of the Mahaweli River, the site offers a quiet setting that has long attracted pilgrims and those seeking meditation.

Somawathiya Rajamaha Viharaya is recognised as one of Sri Lanka’s sixteen sacred Buddhist sites, known as the Solosmasthana.

It is also one of only two places on the island believed to house surviving relics of the Buddha’s tooth, the other being the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy.

Parakrama Samudra is an ancient reservoir in Polonnaruwa, built in the 12th century as part of a large-scale irrigation system.

The reservoir was constructed during the reign of King Parakramabahu I to support agriculture, and its vast size earned it the name “Sea of Parakrama,” reflecting its importance in water management.

It was formed by linking three earlier tanks—Thopa Wewa, Eramudu Wewa and Dumbutulu Wewa—into a single body of water covering about 2,500 hectares.

The reservoir is contained by an earthen dam measuring roughly 8.5 miles in length, which also serves as a roadway and provides access to several historic sites along its banks.

Designed to collect monsoon rainfall, Parakrama Samudra distributes water through an extensive network of canals to irrigate surrounding paddy fields.

The system reflects King Parakramabahu’s principle that no drop of rainwater should be allowed to flow unused into the sea.

Parakrama Samudra continues to function as an important source of water for agriculture and domestic use.

It remains one of the most significant examples of ancient Sinhalese hydraulic engineering and long-term landscape management.

The Royal Palace of King Parakramabahu is a 12th-century brick complex in Polonnaruwa that once served as the main residence of the ruler during the city’s medieval capital period.

Originally known as the Vaijayanta Prasada, or Palace of Victory, the complex formed part of the Alahana Parivena, which combined religious, administrative and residential functions.

Historical sources describe the palace as a seven-storey structure, although only the lower three levels of brick walls survive today, rising more than 30 feet above the ground.

Grooves visible in the remaining walls indicate where timber beams once supported the upper wooden floors, which have since disappeared.

The ground floor contained a large central hall with walls nearly seven feet thick, designed to keep the interior cool in the tropical climate.

Surrounding buildings housed facilities such as the king’s council chamber, a royal bathing pool and other administrative spaces.

Remains of plaster, sculptural fragments and signs of fire damage from later invasions provide clues to the palace’s original decoration and scale.

Today, the site consists mainly of lower walls and foundations, while scale models displayed at the Polonnaruwa Museum illustrate its likely original form and layout.

Rankoth Vehera is a large Buddhist stupa dating to the 12th century and located within the Alahana Pirivena monastery complex in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa.

Built by King Nissanka Malla, the monument is the largest stupa in Polonnaruwa and the fourth largest in Sri Lanka, and it was originally known as Ruwanwali Pinna.

The stupa is constructed entirely of clay bricks and has a base diameter of about 550 feet, with its present height measuring around 33 metres.

Archaeological estimates suggest the structure may originally have risen to nearly 61 metres, making it one of the tallest religious monuments of its time.

Its architectural form closely follows that of the Great Stupa at Anuradhapura, reflecting a deliberate link with the traditions of earlier Sinhalese capitals.

At each of the four cardinal points, the stupa features a decorated vahalkada, or frontispiece, which functioned as a ceremonial platform for floral offerings.

These vahalkada are embellished with brick carvings and stone pillars that add to the monument’s visual and ritual significance.

Rankoth Vehera is set within a broad sandy terrace and is surrounded by smaller brick shrines and flower altars that continue to frame the site as a place of worship.

Kiri Vehera is a white Buddhist stupa dating to the 12th century and located within the Alahana Pirivena monastery complex in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa.

The monument was commissioned by Queen Subhadra, a consort of King Parakramabahu I, and is regarded as one of the best-preserved dagobas in the city.

Its name means “Milk-white Shrine,” a reference to the white lime plaster that has survived on much of the structure for nearly nine centuries.

The stupa stands on a raised square platform and rises to a height of about 29 metres, or roughly 80 feet.

Its design consists of a hemispherical dome, a square chamber known as the hataras kotuwa, and a tapering spire, all of which retain their original architectural proportions.

Two smaller stupas located nearby are believed to mark the burial sites of the royal couple associated with the construction of Kiri Vehera.

Hatadageya is a 12th-century relic house located within the Dalada Maluva sacred quadrangle of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa.

The structure was commissioned by King Nissanka Malla to house the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha and is considered one of the last major relic shrines built during the city’s medieval period.

The name Hatadage is commonly interpreted as “House of Sixty,” a reference either to sixty relics once kept there or to a tradition that the building was completed within sixty hours.

Stone inscriptions at the site directly attribute the construction to King Nissanka Malla and record the offerings he made to the shrine.

Hatadageya was originally a two-storey building, with a stone-built ground floor and an upper level made of wood.

Although the wooden upper chamber and roof have not survived, the lower structure remains largely intact.

The inner sanctum houses three large standing Buddha statues carved from limestone and positioned against the rear wall.

The entrance is elaborately decorated with stone carvings, including figures of musicians and dancers, which are regarded as more refined than those at the earlier Atadage.

Large stone inscriptions carved into the walls near the entrance provide rare contemporary evidence of royal patronage during the reign of Nissanka Malla.

Medirigiriya Vatadage is an ancient circular relic house dating to the 7th century and built during the reign of King Aggabodhi II on a natural rock outcrop in Sri Lanka’s North Central Province.

The monument predates the rise of the Polonnaruwa kingdom and is regarded as one of the finest surviving examples of vatadage architecture in the country.

Archaeologists often describe it as the most refined vatadage on the island, reflecting an advanced stage of Buddhist religious architecture in early medieval Sri Lanka.

The shrine is centred on a small stupa and enclosed by three concentric circles of stone pillars.

In total, sixty-eight slender columns once supported a wooden domed roof that sheltered the relic chamber.

Four seated Buddha statues carved from limestone are arranged around the stupa, each facing one of the cardinal directions.

The figures are noted for their calm expressions and restrained ornamentation, which reflect the artistic style of the period.

The upper platform is enclosed by a stone railing carved to imitate a wooden fence, a feature known as a Buddhist railing that defines the ceremonial boundary of the sacred space.

Access to the vatadage is provided by a broad stone staircase leading to the top of the rock, where a large stone doorway marks the transition to the elevated platform.

Atadage is an early Buddhist relic house in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa and is the oldest surviving structure within the Dalada Maluva sacred quadrangle.

The shrine was established in the 11th century by King Vijayabahu I after his defeat of the Chola rulers and the restoration of Buddhist worship on the island.

The building is traditionally known as the House of Eight Relics, a name linked by scholars to the enshrinement of several important Buddhist relics alongside the Sacred Tooth Relic.

Its construction marked Polonnaruwa’s emergence as the new royal and religious capital of Sri Lanka.

Archaeological evidence suggests Atadage was originally a two-storey structure, with a timber-built upper floor that housed the Tooth Relic and a stone-built ground floor used as an image house.

Only the lower level survives today, defined by the remains of 54 stone pillars that once supported the wooden upper chamber.

Sections of a stone staircase leading to the relic floor are still visible among the ruins.

Inside the inner chamber, a single standing Buddha statue remains at the rear, while two other images that once stood there have been lost over time.

The entrance is marked by a carved moonstone and guardstones, which historians believe were transported from the former capital of Anuradhapura.

These features reflect continuity in royal Buddhist architecture as political power shifted between Sri Lanka’s ancient capitals.