Sri Lankaramaya Temple

SINGAPORE

This is the oldest Sri Lankan Buddhist temple in Singapore. It was built in 1952 in the form of a single two-story building and has gradually expanded to its present scale.
The temple consists of the main building, Reclining Buddha Hall, ordination hall, monastic quarters, and a three-story office and library building. The main building has two stories with a white stupa on the roof. It contains the Cultural Hall on the first story and the main shrine on the second story. The main shrine houses a seated statue of Sakyamuni Buddha with hands in dhyana (meditation) mudra. Murals depicting scenes from the Life of the Buddha are painted on the walls. A small shrine on the roof houses the Buddha relics and a replica of Abhayagiri Vihara’s Samadhi Buddha, the most prominent Buddha statue in Sri Lanka. The Reclining Buddha Hall houses a 14 m long reclining Buddha. Glass doors allow an unobstructed view of the impressive statue from the outside. The ordination hall is octagonal, symbolizing the Noble Eightfold Path.
The magnificent Bodhi tree is located in the center of the courtyard. Next to the Bodhi tree there is a vivid sculpture of King Devanampiya Tissa (reigned 250–210 BCE) paying respect to Mahinda, who introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka. The sculpture includes a grazing deer and a miniature bridge. Mahinda is depicted advising against deer hunting as a royal sport. The temple has all the features of a Theravada monastery, including a stupa, Bodhi tree, and Buddha images, as well as an ordination hall.