Wat Ananda Youth
Encyclopedia
Wat Ananda Youth was formerly known as the Ananda Metyarama Buddhist Youth Circle.

In 2006, on its 40th Anniversary, AMBYC decided to reinvent itself to appeal to the youth of the 21st century. We revisited our objectives and programmes and decided to change our name from AMBYC to Wat Ananda Youth (WAY), a catchy name which is easy to remember and reflects our roles and vision.

WAY continues to hold most of its activities in Wat Ananda Metyarama Buddhist Temple. The youth group continues to maintain a symbiotic relationship with the temple which has been established since 1966.

History

Wat Ananda Metyarama is considered as one of the oldest temples in Singapore. It was completed in 1925 with a land area of 18317 square feet (1,701.7 m²), and its former address was at 83, Silat Road, Singapore. Its new and current address is at 50-B Jalan Bukit Merah
Bukit Merah
Bukit Merah is a hill in Singapore. Previously, it was a much larger hill that was situated at the present site of Henderson housing estate, which lies opposite the Delta Sports Complex. There was a Chinese cemetery on the reverse side of the hill. The present Bukit Merah Secondary School and...

, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 169645.

Its founder, Venerable Luang Phor Hong Dhammaratano (Phra Dhammaratano Bandit), came to Singapore in 1920 (2463 BE) with Samanera Boonier, his disciple, and mooted the idea of a Thai temple in 1923.

After his passing away in 1925, his successor, Phra Rajayankavee had the temple renovated in 1953. The Venerable served as the Abbot of Wat Ananda Metyarama twice, with his appointment briefly interrupted in between by Venerable Maha Amnad Ithiyano. After Phra Rajayankavee, Phraku Bisaldhammanides became the Chief Monk, he started the Youth Circle in 1966 - the FIRST registered Buddhist Youth Circle in Singapore. Dhamma classes were conducted then.

Phraku Bisaldhammanides left for Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

 in 1974 and our present Abbot Chao Kun Phra Pannadhamvides (Phraku Sucinta) took over as the Abbot. Since then, he has done much to upgrade and expand the Wat
Wat
A wat is a monastery temple in Cambodia, Thailand, or Laos. The word "wat" means "school".- Introduction :...

's facilities. Besides, he is also the Buddhist Religious Leader involved in the inter-religious organisation, a society that promote religious understanding and harmony in Singapore.

In 1975, he renovated the temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...

 and in 1979 he constructed the pagoda and a 3-storey residential block for monks. Chao Kun Pannadhamvides was conferred the title (i.e. Chao Kun) by the King of Thailand on 5 Dec 1977 and a fecilitation ceremony was held at Wat on 11 Nov 1977 after his return from Thailand. Later, on 5 Jan 1996, he was again conferred a new title Chao Kun Phra Raj Siddhivides by the Thai King. A fecilitation ceremony was held on 8 Dec 1996.

The pagoda was officially declared open by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is the second daughter of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Thais commonly refer to her as Phra Thep, meaning "princess angel." Because her title in Thai is the female equivalent of the title held by her brother, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, she is informally referred...

, the second daughter of King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...

, the King of Thailand on 27 Jun 1985.

In 1995, Venerable Chao Kun put up a Kwan Yin Shrine and a new porch in front of the main shrine. Work on a new 3-storey extension that houses the library, Dhamma classrooms and Meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....

 Hall took place in the same year. The roof layout was a feature adopted from the late Venerable Hong Choon's idea. The building was completed in fiscal year of 1996/97.

On 23 Feb 1986, the Laying of the Holy Stones Foundation (Nimitta Sima), was conducted. The event coincided with Magha Puja Day.
With the ceremony completed, the temple has the authority to ordain Monks.

The official opening of the new extension was on June 20, 1997 by Mr Koo Tsai Kee, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of National Development and MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC.
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