A vaṭadāge is a type of Buddhist structure found in Sri Lanka. It also known as a dage, thupagara and a cetiyagara. Although it may have had some Indian influence, it is a structure that is more or less unique to the architecture of ancient Sri Lanka. Vatadages were built around small stupas for their protection, which often enshrined a relic or were built on hallowed ground. Circular in shape, they were commonly built of stone and brick and adorned with elaborate stone carvings. Vatadages may have also had a wooden roof, supported by a number of stone columns arranged in several concentric rows.
An entrance of the Polonnaruwa Vatadage.
A model of the Thuparama Vatadage in the museum of Anuradhapura, showing what the original structure may have looked like.
The Polonnaruwa Vatadage.
Thuparamaya is the earliest documented Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka. Its building dates to the arrival of Mahinda Thera (Mahindagamanaya) and the introduction of Buddhism to the island.
The Stupa
Stone pillars around the Stupa suggest that a Vatadage with a conical roof once sheltered the Stupa at the center of the covered space
Thuparamaya Stupa and Stone Pillars