On Wednesday, 14th February, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Swaminarayan Mandir in Abu Dhabi, which is the first actual Hindu Mandir in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Prime Minister Modi is in the UAE on 13-14 February. During his two-day visit, Prime Minister Modi will also engage in bilateral discussions with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
#WATCH | Visuals of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Mandir, the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.
— ANI (@ANI) February 12, 2024
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate it on February 14. pic.twitter.com/l154agVh6J
This will be PM Modi’s third visit to the UAE in the last 8 months. Apart from the inauguration of the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, PM Narendra Modi will also address the Indian diaspora at the ‘Ahlan Modi‘ event on 13th February 2024. According to Indian Ambassador to UAE, Sanjay Sudhir, more than 65000 people have registered to participate in this event.
Sudhir said, “We had to actually close the registration as soon as the mark touched 65,000 because we could not accommodate anymore.”
While PM Modi will inaugurate the BAPS Mandir on 14th February, the gates of the Mandir will be thrown open for the common people from 1st March 2024. The temple complex will also have various facilities such as a visitor center, prayer room, exhibitions, learning center, playing area for children and youth, gardens, water amenities, food court, as well as shops for books and gifts.
Regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, UAE Ambassador to India Abdul Nasir Al Shali stated that both countries are strengthening their ties due to the values of tolerance and acceptability. Prime Minister Modi will also attend the World Government Summit 2024 in Dubai as the ‘Guest of Honor’ and address the summit.
Pertinent to note that Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha), Swaminarayan Aksharpith Mandir is the first Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi. The Mandir Complex is spread across 27 acres of land gifted by the Emir of the United Arab Emirates. Swaminarayan Mandir Director Pranab Desai expressed his gratitude to the UAE and Indian leadership for this Mandir.
According to the website of the Swaminarayan sect, this sect has Hindu Mandirs located in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Ruwais in the UAE. These temples are either already built or under construction. In the Middle East, Swaminarayan temples are also located in Muscat and Sohar in Oman, as well as in Kuwait and Bahrain.
The 1997 dream comes true
On 5th April 1997, followers took the then-president of Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a Hindu sect within the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, to a desert area in Sharjah, UAE.
There, Swamiji offered prayers for global peace, harmony among all religions across nations, the eradication of internal conflicts and biases within countries, and wished for progress for all nations. Additionally, he independently prayed for the construction of a temple in Abu Dhabi.
Subsequently, BAPS sadhus and devotees met community and government leaders over the next two decades seeking permission for land to construct a Mandir as envisioned by Swamiji – the then-president of BAPS.
In 2014, the BJP government came to power at the center and Narendra Modi took oath as the Prime Minister of India. As part of foreign policy, the Modi government strengthened relations with the Middle Eastern nations and India-UAE ties became stronger.
Consequently, in the year 2015, the UAE government allotted land for the Hindu Mandir. Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly lauded the gesture of the UAE government stating, “I am very thankful to the UAE Govt for their decision to allot land in order to build a Mandir in Abu Dhabi. This is a great step.”
Both governments entrusted Swaminarayan Sanstha and Mandir Limited to construct, develop, and administer the Mandir project.
Afterwards, the construction work of this Mandir started on the gifted land in Abu Mureikhah, Al Rahba area on the Abu Dhabi-Sweihan-Al Ain Road, close to the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway. It has seven towers that represent the seven emirates in the UAE.
Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Prime Minister Modi welcomed sadhus of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha during PM Modi’s visit to the UAE in 2018. In the royal court, the official announcement to build this BAPS Mandir was made in February 2018 and the foundation stone laying ceremony was done in April 2019. In May 2023, diplomats from over 30 countries visited the under-construction Mandir.
BAPS Mandir follows ancient Hindu shilpashastras
The Spokesperson explained that the amphitheater will feel like sitting on the ghats of the Indian river – Ganga. A simulated sand dune is being created within the premises. Upon entry, visitors will encounter two streams of water symbolising the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in India. Additionally, a beam of light will symbolise the Saraswati river within the Mandir structure.
According to the Mandir spokesperson, no iron or steel has been used in the construction of this Mandir and it follows ancient practices. This Mandir is completely made of stone. More than 20,000 tonnes of stone and marble have been shipped in more than 700 containers to Abu Dhabi over the past three years. Fly ash has been used to fill up the foundation, thereby replacing 55 percent of the cement in the concrete mix, making the Mandir eco-friendly and reducing its carbon footprint.
The spokesperson said that to monitor the structure, more than 300 sensors have been embedded at different levels to provide live data on stress, pressure, temperature, and seismic events.
The BAPS Mandir complex is designed in accordance with the principles outlined in the ancient Hindu Shilpashastras, as described by the spokesperson.
Pink Sandstone from Rajasthan has been used for the exterior of the Mandir while white marble meticulously handcrafted by Indian artisans is used for its interior.
For the last three years, more than 2,000 artisans from the Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat have carved intricate designs into the white marble pillars, depicting motifs such as peacocks, elephants, horses, camels, lunar phases, and a variety of musicians playing instruments like the drum and sitar. Every detail, meticulously hand-carved by hundreds of skilled artisans in India, contributes to the Mandir’s intricate beauty.
Around the world, BAPS has 1,200 Mandirs, over 3,850 centers, and more than 55,000 volunteers.
