This small pavilion in the Quadrangle is one of the more enchanting buildings on the site: a tiny stone platform surrounded by eight delicately carved columns shaped like the stems of lotus plants, each one twisting up to a stylised flower-bud capital. The pavilion was built by King Nissanka Malla in the late twelfth century to chant the sacred Buddhist texts before the Tooth Relic.
The lotus-stem columns are unique in Sri Lankan architecture and beautifully preserved. Look at them close up: the carving is fine enough to see individual leaves. A small reliquary stupa sits in the centre of the pavilion.