PM Modi inaugurates Abu Dhabi's first Hindu temple

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 14 inaugurated the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) mandir in Abu Dhabi. It is the first Hindu temple to be inaugurated in the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Spread over 27 acres and built at a cost of over Rs 700 crore, the BAPS Hindu temple is being seen as a sign of the deepening relationship between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The inauguration took place during PM Modi's two-day official visit to the UAE.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Mandir in Abu Dhabi. pic.twitter.com/ttYfdqGplt

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— ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2024

In 2015, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, donated 13.5 acres of land for the construction of the Mandir.

The UAE Government, during its Year of Tolerance, allocated a further 13.5 acres of land in January 2019 – making a total of 27 acres of land gifted for the Mandir.

Reportedly, more than 20,000 tonnes of stone and marble was shipped in 700 containers to Abu Dhabi for the temple.

A number of facilities, including a large amphitheatre, prayer rooms, a gallery, a library, thematic gardens, water features, a food court, a gift shop, a children's play area, a majlis, and two community halls that can accommodate 5,000 people, are built in the temple complex.

The temple houses seven shrines, all of which are devoted to different deities hailing from the North, East, West and South of India. These deities are Lord Ayyappa, Lord Tirupati Balaji, Lord Jagannath, Lord Krishna and his wife Radha, Lord Hanuman, Lord Shiv and his wife Parvati and children Ganesh and Karthik, and Lord Ram and his wife Sita.