Home / Architecture and Landscape

Burmese Buddhist temple : Sasanaramsi Burmese Buddhist Temple

Sasanaramsi Burmese Buddhist Temple Singapore, located at 14 Tai Gin Road, is the first and only Burmese Theravada Buddhist temple built outside Myanmar in the traditional style. Its marble Buddha image is also the largest enshrined outside Myanmar.

History
Existing records testify that the original temple was built by U Tha Hint a.k.a Tang Sooay Chin in 1878. With the help of another Burmese, U Kyaw Gaung a.k.a. Khoo Teogou a practitioner of traditional medicine from Mergui, Tenasserima in Myanmar, the temple was established. It was U Kyaw Gaung who had the vision to set up the huge marble Buddha image in this temple. Another Burmese gentleman, Sayadaw U Pannya Vamsa, also sought to build a Burmese temple in Singapore. Unfortunately, his dream met with many obstacles before U Kyaw Gaung's son, U Ba Thein approached him. Ven. U Pannya Vamsa with the help of many venerable monks and Buddhist well-wishers built the Sasanaramsi Burmese Buddhist Temple along Kinta Road. U Kyaw Guang's son and daughter carried on their father's guardianship of the temple after the later's death in 1935. In 1988, the resettlement department of Housing and Development Board offered a new site for the temple and it was moved to Tai Gin Road on 3 May of the same year. Construction of the current temple was completed by 1990. From its earliest days, this temple had been providing Theravada Buddhist services to the Buddhist community in Singapore.

Description
The Buddha image in the main Shrine Hall is the largest enshrined outside Myanmar. The statue is 11 ft high, 9 ft 2 in wide and 3 ft 10 in thick. A solid piece of white marble weighing 10 tons was purchased at Rs. 1,200 by U Kyaw Gaung from Sagyin Hill, 30 miles north of Mandalay. The sculpture was completed in 1918 and was brought to Singapore in 1921 and enshrined at the third Milestone, Serangoon Road, Singapore before it was moved to the Burmese Temple at Kinta Road in 1925.

Sasanaramsi Burmese Buddhist Temple Singapore, 14 Tai Gin Road, Singapore 3327873.
Completed : 1990
Architect : Unknown craftsmen and artisans



Author
Ah Win Daw & Renuka M.



References
Burmese Buddhist Temple 10th anniversary souvenir 29th - 31st December 2001(pp. 18- 27, 35-36). (2001). Singapore: Organizing Committee for the 10th Anniversary Celebration.
(Call no.: RSING 294.3435095957 BUR)

Burmese Buddhist Temple, Singapore. (n.d.). About the Temple. Retrieved November 1, 2002, from www.bbt.org.sg/about.htm

Heritage Hub. (n.d.). Burmese Buddhist Temple. Retrieved November 5, 2002, from Anglo-Chinese School (P) Web site: schools.moe.edu.sg/acsp/gep/NeighbourHood/BurmeseTemple.htm

The information in this article is valid as at 2003 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Architecture and Landscape>>Building Types>>Religious Buildings
Temples--Singapore
Temples, Buddhist--Singapore
Arts>>Architecture>>Religious Buildings



All Rights Reserved. National Library Board Singapore 2004.