Hetadage
This ancient shrine once housed the tooth relic during the Polonnaruwa Kingdom. According to inscriptions on a nearby stone slab, it was built by King Nissanka Malla (1187-1196) to enshrine the Buddha's tooth relic. However, it is uncertain whether it was originally constructed by King Parakramabahu (1153-1186) and later renovated by Nissanka Malla or if Nissanka Malla built it himself. This is due to conflicting descriptions in the chronicles and Nissanka Malla's reputation for taking credit for others' work.
Surrounded by sturdy stone walls, the building is much larger than the Atadage and has two floors, with stone steps leading to the upper level where the tooth relic was likely kept. The ground floor still contains the remains of three standing Buddha statues. Its name, “Heta,” meaning sixty, suggests that it either housed sixty relics or was completed in sixty days.
An important feature of the building is the rare Sandakada Pahana, or moonstone, at the entrance, which depic...
Surrounded by sturdy stone walls, the building is much larger than the Atadage and has two floors, with stone steps leading to the upper level where the tooth relic was likely kept. The ground floor still contains the remains of three standing Buddha statues. Its name, “Heta,” meaning sixty, suggests that it either housed sixty relics or was completed in sixty days.
An important feature of the building is the rare Sandakada Pahana, or moonstone, at the entrance, which depic...
