Polonnaruwa Hatadage Buddhist Temple, Sri Lanka

Address

Polonnaruwa Hatadage Buddhist Temple, Jayanthipura, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

Diety

Buddha

Introduction

The Hatadage is located in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, in the North Central province of Sri Lanka. It is close to the northern edge of the Dalada Maluva there, the quadrangular area which contains some of the oldest monuments of the city. Its entrance, which is oriented to the south, directly faces the entrance of the Polonnaruwa Vatadage. The Galpotha stone inscription is near its eastern side, while the Atadage lies to its west Hatadage is an ancient relic shrine in the city of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka. It was built by King Nissanka Malla and had been used to keep the Relic of the tooth of the Buddha. The Hatadage had been built using stone, brick, and wood, although only parts of the brick and stone walls now remain. It appears to have been a two-story structure, but the upper story has now been destroyed. Three Buddha statues carved out of granite rock are located within a chamber of the shrine.

Puranic Significance

The Hatadage was built by King Nissanka Malla (1187–1196), as a shrine to house the Relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Several historical sources including the Rajaveliya, Poojavaliya, and the Galpotha inscription itself mention that it was built in sixty hours. Since the Sinhalese word Hata means sixty and Dage means relic shrine, it is possible that the structure was named Hatadage to commemorate this feat. Another theory is that it is so named because it held sixty relics. The tooth relic was presumably kept in the upper story