Buddha Tooth Relic Temple - A New Temple in Tang Style

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple - A New Temple in Tang Style

Photo: Cbogsin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on Singapore: Marina Bay to Chinatown, a free self-guided tour.

The towering red-and-gold building ahead looks centuries old, but it was completed only in 2007. The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is built in the style of China's Tang dynasty and was designed to house a relic its founders believe to be a tooth of the Buddha, said to have been found in a collapsed stupa in Myanmar. Its authenticity is a matter of faith rather than science.

The temple stands on what was once Sago Lane, a street of death houses, where poor and elderly people came to spend their last days until the government banned them in 1961. Its new purpose here feels fitting.

Inside, the main hall glows with rows of small Buddha figures. Upper floors hold a museum of Buddhist art and the relic chamber, and the rooftop has an orchid garden with a great prayer wheel. Entry is free. Cover your shoulders and knees (robes are lent at the door), speak quietly, and follow the signs on photography, which is not allowed everywhere.

Getting here: Turn left onto Trengganu Street and walk south to Sago Street, then turn left and follow it toward South Bridge Road; the temple fills the corner on your right.

Did you know?: The rooftop pagoda holds a giant prayer wheel, and an orchid bred for the temple has been named the Dendrobium Buddha Tooth.

Photo op: Cross to the far side of South Bridge Road to fit the whole stepped facade and its golden roofs into one shot, ideally in the warm light of late afternoon.

More on Wikipedia: Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum · Sago Lane · Tang dynasty

Stops on this tour

  1. Merlion Park - Half Lion, Half Fish
  2. The Fullerton Hotel - Singapore's Old Post Office
  3. Cavenagh Bridge - Iron from Glasgow
  4. Asian Civilisations Museum - The Old Government Offices
  5. Raffles' Landing Site - Where Colonial Singapore Began
  6. Boat Quay - The Belly of the Carp
  7. Jamae Mosque - The Chulia Mosque
  8. Sri Mariamman Temple - Singapore's Oldest Hindu Temple
  9. Pagoda Street - From Coolie Trade to Street Market
  10. Chinatown Heritage Centre - Life in a Shophouse
  11. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple - A New Temple in Tang Style
  12. Maxwell Food Centre - Lunch, Hawker Style