Completed in 2007 at a cost of S$75 million, this crimson temple on South Bridge Road borrows from Tang dynasty architecture and is laid out as a Buddhist mandala.
Buddhists venerate the temple’s relic as the Buddha’s left canine, recovered from his funeral pyre at Kushinagar. It rests in a stupa made with 320 kg of gold, which you can view on the fourth floor. On the roof, a pagoda holds a giant Vairocana prayer wheel. The temple and its museum are free to visit, with all floors open daily from 9 am to 5 pm.
It stands on South Bridge Road a few minutes from the Sri Mariamman Temple and Masjid Jamae: three faiths on one street. This is a working place of worship first, so dress for the dress code rather than the heat, and note that meat and pets may not be brought inside. Vesak Day, on 20 May in 2027, is celebrated at Buddhist temples islandwide.
