Burmese Buddhist Temple - Buddhist

All you need to know about Burmese Buddhist temple

The Burmese Buddhist temple, Sasanaramsi, is at 14 Tai Gin Road in Singapore. Since its inception, the Theravada temple has provided Theravada Buddhism services to the Buddhist community in Singapore. 3 It is the first and only Burmese Buddhist Temple – Buddhist erected outside of Myanmar in the traditional Burmese architectural style, costing S$4 million and finished in 1992. It also has the best marble Buddha statue outside of Myanmar. Venerable Sayadaw U Pannya Vamsa, who also began registering the temple with the Registrar of Societies in 1985, constructed the current temple according to traditional Burmese concepts.

Historical Background:

According to existing documents, the initial Burmese Buddhist Temple – Buddhist temple was established at 17 Kinta Road in 1878 by U Tha Hint (also known as Tang Sooay Chin). It is with the assistance of another Burmese, U Kyaw Guang (aka Khoo Teogou), a traditional medicine practitioner from Mergui, Tenasserim, Myanmar. U Kyaw Guang was also responsible for the temple’s massive marble Buddha statue. After U Kyaw Guang died in 1935, his son U Ba Thein and daughter took over the temple’s governance.

Venerable Sayadaw U Pannya Vamsa sought to establish a new temple to replace the one on Kinta Road in 1971, with the support of the Dharma Cakra Society. However, the endeavor was a failure. The intention to build a new temple on Kinta Road was revived in 1973 when U Ba Thein approached Sayadaw U Pannya Vamsa with his proposal, but the project failed to owe to a lack of money.

Architecture:

The 11-foot Buddha statue in the main shrine hall is the tallest outside Myanmar. It was from a solid piece of white marble weighing 10 tons that U Kyaw Gaung bought for  1,200 rupees at Sagyin Hill, 50 km north of Mandalay. The sculpture reached Singapore in 1921. It was at the third landmark, Serangoon Road, before moving to the temple on Kinta Road in 1925.   The statue was with about 1,000 devotees during the move to its current location on Tai Gin Road. It had to be transported on a trailer and taken to the temple with a forklift.

Relocation:

The Kinta Road Temple is a notice of removal from the Housing and Development Board’s Resettlement Division in 1981 due to urban development plans in the region. The temple was recognized formally in April 1985. The current location at 14 Tai Gin Road was awarded by the government for the temple new place a year later. With the assistance of many senior monks and Buddhist friends, Sayadaw U Pannya Vamsa erected the new Burmese Buddhist Sasanaramsi Temple on Tai Gin Road with the help of many senior monks and Buddhist friends. On July 1, 1990, they placed the first stone, and the temple was on December 20, 1991. Completing the construction was in March 1992.

How to reach:

By train:

Take the rail to Toa Payoh MRT station, then the 139, 139M, or 145 bus. You may also walk roughly 20 minutes from the MRT.

By Bus:

Take bus 139, 139M, or 145 from Toa Payoh Bus Junction to the third bus stop in front of the Ramada Hotel, then follow the sign “Burmese Buddhist Temple.”