First Storey

This is the main entrance to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum at 288 South Bridge Road in the Chinatown of Singapore. Along this stretch of road, you will find the Jamae Mosque (1830), Sri Mariamman Temple (1827) and diagonally across, the Fairfield Methodist Church. The presence of the different religious buildings situated on the same road provides a special sight. It is a testimony of the rich and diverse cultural and religious harmony in Singapore.

This temple gateway has three thick and heavy red lacquered large double doors which are constructed in accordance with the traditional Tang Dynasty design. It is fitted with gilt bronze studs, engraved plates and a pair of lion door knockers. The entry via the center gate is usually restricted as it is reserved for important guests.

The mountain gate is also where we welcome the VVIPs.

The mountain gate is also used for certain Buddhist ceremonies.

Three components make up the foundation of ancient Chinese architecture: the foundation platform, the timber frame, and the decorative roof. Another special fundamental feature is a four-sided rectangular enclosure of walls that are formed at right angles and oriented cardinally. The traditional Chinese belief of a square-shaped universe with the four world quarters is manifested physically in its architecture. The mountain gate (Chinese: shān mén, 山門: Japanese: sanmon, サンモン, 三門 or 山門; Korean: sanmun, 산문) - is the gate in front of the temple. In the past, temples were built on mountains or deep in the jungles, thus the entrance was given the name "mountain gate". Subsequently, this name is adopted and commonly used by many temples. The Japanese name is also short for Sangedatsumon (三解脱門 or Gate of the three liberations). Its three openings (kūmon (空門), musōmon (無相門) and musakumon (無作門) symbolize the three gates to enlightenment. Entering, one can free oneself from the three passions (貪 ton, or greed, 瞋 shin, or hatred, and 癡 chi, or "foolishness").

A remarkable achievement in Chinese wooden architecture is the load-bearing timber frame which is a network of interlocking wooden supports installed to form the skeleton of the building without a single nail. This is considered China's major contribution to worldwide architectural technology. In traditional Chinese architecture roofs and ceilings, like the other structural elements, were constructed without nails. The pieces of the ceiling are held together by interlocking bracket sets called dougongs (斗拱 dǒugǒng). Dougong is a unique structural element of interlocking wooden brackets, one of the most important elements in traditional Chinese architecture. It first appeared in buildings of the last centuries BC and evolved into a structural network that joined pillars and columns to the frame of the roof. Dougong was widely used in the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC) and developed into a complex set of interlocking parts by its peak in the Tang and Song periods. Since ancient times when the Chinese first began to use wood for building, joinery has been a major focus and craftsmen cut the wooden pieces to fit so perfectly that no glue or fasteners were necessary. 

At Zhuji in China, our main Chinese contractor conducted a timber workshop dedicated entirely to this project. The staff there cut and shaped the timber into all the various pieces and shapes needed for all the timber structures of this temple.

These completed timber pieces were then shipped back to Chinatown in Singapore for the team here to assemble and install the timber into dougongs, doors, windows, railings etc.

The massive door was then installed. There were multiple layers of paste and linen applied to further strengthen the door.

Last finishes such as handles, studs and plates were added to complete the making of the main door.

A pair of traditional Tang gilt bronze roof ornaments (dragons) sits at the roof top of the mountain gate, providing contrast to the exquisite grey roof. These roof dragons (or "fish tails" – in Japanese) were cast by Mr Matsuoka, in Nara, Japan. The smaller roof dragons are also found on the bell and drum towers and the tea pavilion. They add strength and stability to these important roof structures.

An antique special musical wind chime hangs at every corner of the roof. The chimes help to drive away birds and add color to the temple.