Considered the most beautiful edifices in the Sacred Quadrangle and the entire city, the brick Vatadāgē was built as a protective circular structure with two terraces around a stupa with seated Buddha statues at the cardinal points. The octagonal stone columns, connected by ornamented stone "screens," are on the outside, but others inside would have supported a conical roof of timber. The moonstone, steps with articulated friezes, guardstones, and balustrades are exquisite creations. Another example of a relatively well-preserved vatadāgē can be viewed at nearby Medirigiriya.
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