Vatadage is a general architectural term, not a specific place-name; it means a stupa, erected upon a circular platform, and enclosed by a two-part roof. The top part of the roof is conical or bell-shaped, and the lower part is an annular surrounding eve. The roof is supported on pillars, like those seen here. The building has symmetrical entrances at each of the four cardinal directions.
The Vatadage is one of the oldest monuments, in Polonnaruwa and it is on the left as you enter the complex after climbing some steep granite stairs from the parking area. The Vatadage ( hale of the relic) is a circular building designed with a dagoba on concentric terraces with sculptured railings, the largest with a diameter of 18m. The protective conical roof nor the dagoba that was the central core of the building are no longer there. A superbly planned and executed 12th century masterpiece attributed to Naissankamalla (1187-1196), the Vatadage was originally intended to house the Tooth Relic.