Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum is a Buddhist temple and museum complex located in the Chinatown district of Singapore.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum
Night shot of The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple from the 7th floor of a nearby Housing and Development Board block
Religion
Affiliation	Buddhism
Location
Location	288 South Bridge Road; Singapore 058840
Country	Singapore
Architecture
Completed	2007[1]
Website
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

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.[2] The size of the tooth - measuring 7.5cm - is also far too long for a human tooth.[3] 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 migrant history of Singapore. The design of the temple has a Northern Chinese style with arts from the Tang Dynasty and Japanese inspired architecture.

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.[4]

Gallery

• 
  The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple from South Bridge Road
• 
  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

See also

• Buddhism in Singapore
• Relic of the tooth of the Buddha
• Temple of the Tooth
• Relics associated with Buddha

References

1. "The History of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum". Retrieved 4 May 2020.
2. "Origin of BTRTM". Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
3. 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.
4. https://www.metta.org.sg Archived 17 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine Metta Welfare Association