Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple

Temple of 1,000 Lights
释迦牟尼菩提迦耶寺

Sakaya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple
Monastery information
Full name Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple[1]
Order Theravada
Established 1927
People
Founder(s) Venerable Vutthisara
Site
Location Race Course Road, Singapore[2]
Coordinates 1°18′53″N 103°51′24.7″E / 1.31472°N 103.856861°E / 1.31472; 103.856861Coordinates: 1°18′53″N 103°51′24.7″E / 1.31472°N 103.856861°E / 1.31472; 103.856861

Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple (Chinese: 释迦牟尼菩提迦耶寺) is a Buddhist monastery in Singapore. The temple was originally set up by Venerable Vutthisara of Thailand. The present premises are located at Race Course Road in Singapore.

Overview

The Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple is one of the most prominent and widely visited Buddhist temples in Singapore,[3] often referred to as the Temple of 1,000 Lights. It features a 15-meter high statue of a seated Buddha, which weighs nearly 300 tons, as well as many smaller Buddha images and murals depicting the life of Shakyamuni Buddha. The large central statue is surrounded by a stylized aura made of numerous light bulbs—often lit during evening hours—from which the temple derives its nickname. In a small room beneath the altar is an image of a reclining Buddha, Buddha towards the end of his life, under a Yellow Seraka Tree.

The Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple was founded in 1927 by a Thai monk called Vutthisara[4]

On Vesak Day, the annual holiday celebrating the birth and enlightenment of the Buddha, devotees donate money to the temple and in exchange are allowed to place gold leaf onto a small statue of the Buddha. As the day wears on, the Buddha is almost entirely covered in a fresh layer of gold leaves.[5]

There are strong Thai influences in the architecture and decor.[6]

The temple is open between 8.00 am and 4.45 pm daily.[7] Admission is free.

References

  1. ↑ Uniquely Singapore website
  2. ↑ "Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple". Yelp. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  3. ↑ "Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple". TripAdvisor LLC. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple". myonlinetour mobile. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  5. ↑ DE BRITTO, Benardine. "Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple". DISCOVER SINGAPORE. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple". YourSingapore. Singapore Tourism Board. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple". Buddhist-Tourism.Com. Retrieved 16 September 2014.

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, March 06, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.