On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates by inaugurating the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.
The first Hindu temple in the United Arab Emirates, Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Modi prayed inside the temple before the inauguration, after offering water in the Yamuna and Ganga virtual rivers on the temple grounds.
PM Modi said in a statement prior to his trip to the Middle Eastern country, “The BAPS temple will be an enduring tribute to the values of harmony, peace, and tolerance, which both India and the UAE share.”
The BAPS Hindu Temple’s consecration ceremony took place earlier today.
Situated on a 27-acre plot in Abu Dhabi, the pink sandstone temple is among the biggest in the Middle East. Despite being the official religion of the United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.6 million Indian workers reside there.
Members of the billionaire Ambani family, Bollywood celebrities, and representatives of the Indian government were on the guest list for the temple’s inauguration ceremony. There were also senior Abu Dhabi officials present.
It is a very significant day for the Indian community, according to former Indian Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Suri, who also noted that it has been a need for them on a spiritual and religious level.
“I believe that today is very significant for the Indian community and the sizable Indian diaspora that exists in the United Arab Emirates. For many years, it’s been a spiritual need, a religious need for them. And I know that in 2015, when the Prime Minister came here for the first time, he put in a request to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Abu Dhabi crown prince at the time, who said to ANI that it would be wonderful if some land could be granted.
Arriving at the temple as well, singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan expressed his joy at the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi’s opening.
This is a very joyous occasion for India and Indians worldwide. We are going to witness the arrival of a magnificent and spiritual mandir on a land like Abu Dhabi, which is a historic moment in our lives. This can only be carried out by our PM, Narendra Modi.”
PM Modi has dedicated this as the second significant religious site in the last few weeks. After decades of legal battles, he oversaw the consecration ceremony in January of the massive Ram temple in Ayodhya, which was constructed on the site of a demolished 16th-century mosque.
