Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum
The basement of the temple holds a theatre and a vegetarian dining hall that serve complimentary meals, though donations are accepted.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.He also rejected a design with Southern Chinese typology, which is the style adopted by temples with a long history in Chinatown.It acts as the main entrance to the temple and is fitted with gilt bronze studs, engraved plates and lion door knockers.The statue's right hand is raised to form the abhaya mudra (symbolizing protection, benevolence, peace and dispelling of fear), and the left hand is raised to form the varada mudra (symbolizing offering, giving, welcome, charity compassion and sincerity), with a golden water bottle (kundika) containing the amrita, placed in the left palm.Mañjuśrī's mount, a black-skinned crouching lion with golden beard, eyebrows, claws, tassels and mouth agape showing fangs, is depicted as lurking beneath the throne.The various exhibits stem from Gandhara, India, Nepal, Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, Thailand and Myanmar, comprising sculpture, paintings and textiles.Two maps constitute a large panel facing an altar of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra: one details the spread of Buddhism in Asia and the other shows fifty-five Buddhist centers in Singapore.Sacred Buddha Relics Chamber (Chinese: 佛陀舍利子展覽館; pinyin: Fótuó Shèlìzǐ Zhǎnlǎn Guǎn): This chamber is an extension of the Nagapuspa Buddhist Culture Museum where tiny pearl-like multi-colored relics purportedly of the Buddha are displayed alongside cognate artifacts such as reliquaries and stupas.The walls of the chamber are adorned with painted images of the Twenty Devas and the floor is lined with gold tiles.On the lowest tier of the stupa lies the intricately carved bas reliefs of the Thirty-Five Confession Buddhas, in pure gold.The statue of each Buddha or Bodhisattva is depicted as sitting in the padmasana posture on a phoenix throne, with their hands forming the dhyana mudra and a ring of flaming aureoles encircling their heads.