After temple, India House to rise in Abu Dhabi as UAE embraces yoga as a competitive sport

Two years after opening of a Hindu temple, UAE plans India House to celebrate shared culture and may become Gulf’s first country to formalise yoga as sport.

Nearly two years after Abu Dhabi inaugurated its grand Hindu temple, another symbol of India-UAE friendship is taking shape, an India House in the Emirati capital.

Planned as a cultural hub, India House will showcase India’s art, heritage, and contemporary creativity, while also serving as a centre for yoga, student exchanges, and collaborative research. The project, expected to materialise within two years, marks a deepening of the two nations’ soft power diplomacy.

The UAE, home to nearly four million Indians, is also set to become the first Gulf nation to recognise yoga as a competitive sport, officials told The Indian Express.

The high-level meeting behind the move

The twin initiatives were discussed during the second Joint Steering Committee Meeting of the India-UAE Cultural Council, held in Abu Dhabi on October 8–9.

The Indian delegation was led by Nandini Singla, Director-General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), and included representatives from the Ministries of Tourism, Culture, Youth Affairs, National Archives, and Nalanda University.

The UAE team was led by Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of State at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to The Indian Express, the meeting focused on strengthening cooperation in youth engagement, sports, education, tourism, and archival collaboration, reaffirming culture as a central pillar of the India-UAE strategic partnership.

A bridge through culture and education

As part of the visit, Singla also met leaders from Louvre Abu Dhabi and NYU Abu Dhabi to explore joint initiatives in museology, art exchange, and academic research.

The upcoming India House will not just be a cultural exhibit but a living platform, hosting workshops, performances, exhibitions, and yoga training.

“India House will create opportunities for artists and audiences to meet, share, and collaborate. It’s envisioned as a symbol of the creative spirit that unites our two nations,” UAE Ambassador Abdullah Alshaali told The Indian Express.

Yoga’s journey to becoming a sport

The UAE is now working to formalise yoga as a national competitive sport, as reported by The National.

A UAE Yoga Committee under the Ministry of Sports is drafting a framework to turn yoga into a regulated sporting discipline. Once approved, the UAE would be the first Gulf nation to grant yoga full recognition as a sport.

Officials said India House will also feature dedicated yoga training facilities, reflecting the practice’s immense popularity among both Indians and Emiratis.

Building on a foundation of trust

The latest developments build on a rapid series of India-UAE engagements since the Cultural Council Forum was created in 2022, following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

During the first Steering Committee meet held in New Delhi in March 2025, Al Kaabi had emphasised culture as “the bridge that transcends borders.”

Following the Abu Dhabi talks, the UAE Embassy in New Delhi hosted a cultural roundtable bringing together India’s leading artists, designers, and performers to discuss the India House concept. The Embassy said the platform aims to “showcase India’s artistic heritage and contemporary creativity in the heart of the UAE.”