There are many temples in Singapore but we only came to know of this beautifully architectured Burmese temple when we visited Wan Qing Yuan (or Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall). It was a joke (kind of) to us since we grew up in Singapore, and at one stage thronged this street, Balestier Road almost every weekend searching for materials to renovate our 'nest'.

The Maha Sasana Ramsi Burmese Buddhist Temple, built in 1875, is the first and only Burmese Buddhist temple built outside of Myanmar in the traditional Burmese architectural style.

The exterior of the temple is decorated with lots of intricate wood (think it is Burmese teak) carvings and other interesting design.










Besides its Burmese architecture, this temple also houses the largest white marble Buddha image outside of Myanmar.

Statue of white marble Buddha in main hall

Lots of details went into decorating the main altar

Impressive handiwork for the frame of the altar

At one corner (near to the main altar) is a monk who will pray over believers seeking for blessings. Donation is optional. If you do wish to donate, just clip your dollar note to the 'tree'.

See the dollar notes?

However, we were not sure if this way of donation is the culture of the Burmese Buddhist temple or was the tree only there temporarily for a special occasion when we visited.

Proceeding to the 3rd floor of the temple, visitors will find a wall illustrating the painstaking journey to transport the 11 feet high, 10-tonne marble image of Buddha from Burma to Singapore.

Even the interior of the temple is decorated with intricate wood carvings

Here on this level are more finely made images of Buddha.











The serenity of the temple makes it a great place to rest and momentarily detach ourselves from the hustle and bustle of the world outside.

Having rested (spiritually), if you have not yet visited Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall (or Wan Qing Yuan), then move on to next door to trace the footstep of Dr Sun, the founding father of Republican China and have an insight of the revolution of China.

Finally, before making your way to Novena Church (which is just round the corner....about 15 minutes walk), drop by a a nostalgic coffee shop for a coffee break over their must-try Tau Sar Piah (a type of local pastry).