Consecration of Abu Dhabi’s 1st Hindu temple begins ahead of opening by PM Modi
The consecration of the sprawling Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, built by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha or the BAPS society, began on Wednesday ahead of its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Built on 27 acres of land, this will be the first Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi which features a unique blend of Indian culture and the United Arab Emirates’s (UAE) identity. The focal point of his brief two-day visit to the Gulf nation is the inauguration of the BAPS Mandir, which is the second big Hindu temple to be inaugurated in the UAE.
In October 2022, Dubai’s Temple was inaugurated by the UAE’s Minister of Tolerance HH Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan.
Prime Minister Modi will also lead a dedication ceremony of the temple which will be opened to the public on March 1.
Here are 10 points on the BAPS Mandir:
The temple is built on a 27-acre plot of land, donated by the UAE government, in Abu Mureikhah, near Al Rahba off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway. The stone-laying ceremony took place in 2019.
The sprawling structure has a prayer hall with the capacity to hold 3,000 people; a community centre; an exhibition hall; a library; and a children’s park.
The temple’s facade features elegant marble carvings set against a pink sandstone backdrop, crafted from more than 25,000 pieces of stone by skilled artisans from Rajasthan and Gujarat. The pink sandstone was transported from Rajasthan.
The temple features the traditional Nagar style of architecture. It stands tall at 108 feet, being crowned with seven shikhars (spires) each representing one of the seven emirates of the UAE.
The BAPS Mandir is surrounded by meticulously crafted ghats and features of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. The temple has two central domes — ‘Dome of Harmony’ and ‘Dome of Peace’. The temple’s entrance is marked by eight idols, which symbolises the eight values foundational to Sanatana Dharma.
The temple space also features stories from ancient civilisations — Maya, Aztec, Egyptian, Arabic, European, Chinese and African — all captured in stone. Tales of the ‘Ramayan’ can also be found on the structure.
The temple houses seven shrines, each dedicated to different deities hailing from the North, East, West and South parts of India.
To reduce carbon footprint, the temple’s construction has incorporated fly ash to replace a significant portion of cement in the concrete mix.
Around 150 sensors monitor the structure’s temperature, pressure, stress and seismic events, ensuring the safety and longevity of the temple.
The BAPS Mandir has already won several accolades, including the Best Mechanical Project of the Year 2019, at the MEP Middle East Awards, Best Interior Design Concept of the Year 2020, Best Architecture Style and Best Traditional Nagar Style