Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum Temple

Address: 288 South Bridge Rd, Singapore 058840

Website: https://www.btrts.org.sg

Hours: Temple Daily 6:30am-8:30pm; Museum Daily 9:00am-5:00pm

Admission: Free (temple); donations requested for the museum exhibitions

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum is a Buddhist temple and museum complex in Singapore’s Chinatown that opened in the 2000s and houses a relic presented as a tooth of the historical Buddha. The building was constructed as both a place of worship and a public museum showcasing Buddhist art and culture.

The complex offers multi-level prayer halls, exhibition galleries and a public relic chamber; visitors commonly view ritual ceremonies, gallery displays of Buddhist statuary and paintings, and a rooftop area with views over Chinatown. Guided tours and educational displays explain Buddhist traditions and artifacts.

The temple was established by the local Buddhist community to provide a major cultural and religious institution in Chinatown and functions as an active place of worship as well as a museum. Management combines liturgical activities with public access to exhibits and ceremonial events.

It sits in central Chinatown, within walking distance of the district’s pedestrian streets and transit links, making it one of the most accessible Buddhist cultural sites in central Singapore.

• Architecture and date: Completed and opened in the mid-2000s, the complex is designed in a Tang-dynasty Chinese Buddhist architectural style and combines worship space with curated museum displays.

What to See#

• Relic chamber and museum: Multi-level temple complex in Singapore’s Chinatown combining active prayer halls with museum galleries; includes a dedicated chamber where the relic is enshrined and public exhibition spaces of Buddhist art and ritual objects.

The temple is in Chinatown, a two-minute walk from Chinatown MRT station (NE4/DT19). From the station, exit toward Pagoda Street and walk along South Bridge Road-entrances are clearly visible from the street. Several bus routes (e.g., 61, 64, 197) stop on South Bridge Road.

• Visit at 11am for the morning rituals when monks chant-photography is sometimes restricted during ceremonies.
• Enter through the South Bridge Road entrance and, after viewing the ground-floor temple, take the lift to the rooftop garden for the view of Chinatown.
• The museum galleries can get crowded midday-start with the museum first then move to the temple to avoid peak crowds.