Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum (Chinese: 新加坡佛牙寺龍華院, Japanese: 仏牙寺龍華院博物館)[2] is a Buddhist temple and museum complex located in the Downtown Core of the Chinatown district of Singapore.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum
The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in 2018
Religion
AffiliationBuddhism
Location
Location288 South Bridge Road; Singapore 058840
CountrySingapore
Architecture
Completed1857 (Original)[1]
2007 (Renovated)[1]
Website
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum
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Overview

The temple was based on the architectural style during the Tang dynasty and built to house the tooth relic of the historical Buddha. It is claimed that the relic of Buddha from which it gains its name was found in a collapsed stupa.[3] The size of the tooth - measuring 7.5cm - is also far too long for a human tooth.[4] The relic can be viewed by the public at the 4th floor of the temple.

The basement of the temple holds a theatre and a vegetarian dining hall that serve complimentary meals, though donations are accepted.

History

Ven. Shi Fa Zhao, the current president and abbot of Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, was approached by STB to redevelop the temple. Besides stipulating the building design to be ‘traditional’, it is also requested that the temple contains facilities and hold events for both locals and tourists.

The temple had gone through a total of nine proposals before its design was finalised. The abbot rejected a design that was too ‘contemporary’, therefore, deemed out of place in the Chinatown landscape. He also rejected a design with Southern Chinese typology, which is the style adopted by temples with a long history in Chinatown. As such, a temple with Southern China architecture would have been an authentic reflection of the history of Singapore. The design of the temple has a Northern Chinese style with arts from the Tang Dynasty and inspired architecture from Japanese imperial dynasties.

Shi Fa Zhao is also the founder of the Metta Welfare Association, a non-profit voluntary welfare organisation (VWO) that provides special education, welfare services, community and medical care to the intellectually disabled, elderly and terminally ill in society.[5]

Transportation

Train stations located close to the temple:

  • View of the inside of the temple, showing a seated Buddha Maitreya flanked by two Bodhisattvas
  • View of the side of the temple from the carpark
  • Altar
  • Acala
  • Manjushri
  • Samantabhadra
  • Praying monks and nuns in the temple
  • Alternate view

See also

References
  1. "The History of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum". Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  2. "仏牙寺龍華院博物館". visitsingapore.com. Retrieved 24 December 2020. 歴史的地区のチャイナタウンにある仏牙寺龍華院博物館。意匠を凝らした内装や仏教美術、仏教史にまつわる幅広い展示は、数千年を超える文化を今に伝えています。
  3. "Origin of BTRTM". Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  4. Wei, Tan Dawn; Toh, Mavis. "Is Buddha tooth in Singapore the real McCoy?". The Buddhist Channel. The Straits Times, July 20, 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  5. https://www.metta.org.sg Archived 17 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine Metta Welfare Association

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