Budda Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

Also located in Chinatown is the Budda Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. This temple houses the Sacred Budda Tooth Relic in a stupa made of 320 kg of gold donated by devotees (I’m sure many of whom abandoned getting their own health insurance in NC). This grand temple is dedicated to Maitreya Buddha, who is believed to be the next Budda. The beautifully carved wooden Maitreya Buddha greets visitors in its 27-feet main hall. You can just stare in awe at how grand this temple is. The architecture and the interiors are inspired by the Tang Dynasty, and one can just notice the fine details that this temple has.

The temple has four floors. The first floor is called the Hundred Dragons Hall because of the hundred Buddas enshrined on the walls. Also on the first floor is the Avalokitesvara Hall, where Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara sits upon an intricate lotus throne. On the second floor is the Exhibition Hall featuring Budda calligraphy, paintings, and sculptures. The Lotus House Teahouse is also located here. The third floor houses the Sacred Budda Relics Chamber and features an impressive collection of Buddhist artifacts. And the fourth floor is called the Sacred Light Hall and is the repository of the gold Sacred Budda’s Tooth Relic Stupa.

Considering how beautiful and grand this temple is, I’d say this is one temple one shouldn’t miss while in Singapore.