5/5 Adam L. 3 years ago on Google
Buddha
Tooth
Relic
Temple
(BTRT)
was
embroiled
in
a
controversy
before
its
soft
launch
in
the
2007,
when
the
media
ran
stories
questioning
the
authenticity
of
the
tooth
relic.
Dental
experts
were
quoted
as
saying
that
the
tooth’s
characteristics
of
a
long
crown
and
short
root
were
incompatible
with
the
dimensions
of
a
human
tooth,
and
that
the
tooth
likely
belonged
to
an
animal,
probably
that
of
a
cow
or
buffalo.
The
length
of
the
tooth
was
also
said
to
be
too
long
to
have
come
from
a
human.
In
response
to
the
controversy,
Ven
Shi
said:
“To
me,
it
has
always
been
real
and
I
have
never
questioned
its
authenticity.
They
can
say
all
they
want.
I
don’t
care
what
they
say.
If
you
believe
it’s
real,
then
it’s
real".
A
number
of
letters
to
the
press
from
devotees
and
donors
expressed
disappointment
and
called
for
the
tooth
to
be
authenticated.
In
the
statements
released
to
the
media
and
advertisements
taken
out,
however,
the
BTRT
rejected
the
possibility
of
DNA
testing
and
quoted
Ven
Shi
as
saying:
“Each
of
us
has
different
views
on
what
is
‘real’,
as
it
depends
on
each
individual’s
understanding
of
Buddhism.
While
we
fully
respect
the
opinions
of
others,
we
should
stand
firm
on
our
own
faith
towards
the
sacred
relics".
Whilst
the
ground
breaking
ceremony
of
BTRT
was
conducted
on
13
March
2005.
Costing
S$62
million
and
2
years
later,
a
soft
launch
was
held
to
coincide
with
the
2007
Vesak
Day
celebration.
It
is
claimed
that
the
relic
of
Buddha
from
which
it
gains
its
name
was
found
in
1980
in
a
collapsed
stupa
in
Myanmar.
The
relic
can
be
viewed
by
the
public
at
the
4th
floor
of
the
temple.
The
prayer
wheel
in
the
rooftop
is
the
World's
Largest
Buddhist
Prayer
Wheel.
According
to
the
Buddhist
tradition
spinning
a
prayer
wheel
will
have
much
the
same
meritorious
effect
as
orally
reciting
the
prayers.
Ven
Shi
Fa
Zhao,
the
current
president
and
abbot
of
Buddha
Tooth
Relic
Temple
and
Museum
(BTRTM),
was
approached
by
STB
in
1998
to
develop
a
proposal
for
a
temple
on
the
vacant
site.
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.
The
temple
went
through
a
total
of
nine
proposals
before
the
design
was
finalised.
The
abbot
rejected
a
design
that
was
too
‘contemporary’,
therefore,
deemed
out
of
place
in
the
Chinatown
landscape.
He
also
rejected
a
design
with
Southern
Chinese
typology,
which
is
the
style
adopted
by
temples
with
a
long
history
in
Chinatown.
As
such,
a
temple
with
Southern
China
architecture
would
have
been
an
authentic
reflection
of
the
migrant
history
of
Singapore.
Instead,
the
final
design
of
the
building
has
Northern
Chinese
style
with
arts
from
Tang
Dynasty.
7 people found this review helpful 👍