PM Modi Inaugurates Abu Dhabi's Largest Hindu Temple, Strengthening Cultural Ties with UAE

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the first Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi. The event, attended by spiritual leaders from the Swaminarayan sect, featured devotional chants and traditional rituals.

Before the inauguration, Modi met individuals from diverse faiths who contributed to the construction of this historic temple. The temple stands as a symbol of collaboration and unity among people of different religious backgrounds.

Then the prime minister actively participated in the "Global Aarti," a simultaneous prayer conducted at over 1,200 temples of the Swaminarayan sect worldwide. These temples were built by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).

Prime Minister Modi symbolically offered water in the virtual Ganga and Yamuna rivers at the temple.

This temple is built in the Nagara style of architecture with 18 lakh bricks and seven lakh man-hours, mirrors the recently inaugurated Ram Temple in Ayodhya. A staggering 1.8 lakh cubic meters of sandstone, sourced directly from Rajasthan, went into its construction and the temple is also constructed on a 27-acre site in Abu Mreikhah, near Al Rahba, the grand temple follows ancient Hindu scriptures, incorporating architectural methods from the Shilpa and Sthapathya Shastras. Remarkably, the temple is equipped with over 300 high-tech sensors to measure temperature, pressure, and seismic activity for ongoing research.

The temple's construction manager, Madhusudan Patel, highlighted the fusion of traditional aesthetic stone structures with modern functionality and he also said the use of heat-resistant nano tiles, heavy glass panels, and non-ferrous materials ensures a comfortable experience for visitors, even in the extreme temperatures of the UAE.

Umesh Raja, a temple volunteer, revealed that 20,000 tonnes of sandstone pieces were carved in Rajasthan and transported to Abu Dhabi in 700 containers. The labor force, contributing over five years to the temple's construction, hails from Gujarat and Rajasthan. Even the marble, mined from Italy, underwent carving in India before reaching the UAE for interior use.

The UAE government gave the land for the temple as a way of showing their dedication to supporting different cultures. Along with three other Hindu temples in Dubai, the BAPS temple, with its large stone design, is going to be the biggest in the Gulf region.

Prime Minister Modi's visit to the UAE is his seventh since 2015 and his third in the last eight months. This emphasizes how important the cultural connection is between the two countries

The construction of the temple shows a dedication to being environmentally friendly. The absence of metal in the building, the use of fly ash in the foundation, and the use of scientific methods all show a sustainable approach.