A Hindu temple is being constructed in Abu Dhabi, and it will be the first traditional stone temple in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The 60,000 Hindu Abu Dhabi residents will no longer
have to travel outside the region to pray.
The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan
Sanstha (BAPS) initiative claims that the temple would be able to withstand the
test of time for a thousand years.
The first phase of the temple's construction has
been completed, according to media sources.
Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the president of the
international Hindu socio-spiritual organization BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, was
brought to a desert in Sharjah in 1997.
He prayed for three things there: for peace to reign across the world, for all religions to grow in love for one another, and for countries to be free of animosity and prejudice. Finally, he expressed his desire for a mandir to be established in Abu Dhabi.
Over the years, BAPS devotees met with community and government authorities to request land for the mandir. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi's crown prince, and the UAE's Deputy Commander-in-Chief donated 13.5 acres of property to the organization in 2015 to be used for a temple.
The mandir was officially declared as a Golden Amrut
Kalash at the Presidential Palace in the presence of BAPS sadhus after Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and the Crown Prince signed eight Memorandums of
Understanding.
Ceremony Of The Foundation Stone Laying
PM Modi lays the temple's foundation stone through
video conferencing from Dubai's opera theatre during his visit there in
2018.
The first fly ash concrete pouring for the
foundation of the Swaminarayan temple of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar
Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) took place two years after the
groundbreaking ceremony, in the presence of a large number of Indian diaspora
ex-pats.
"The architecture of the temple is like
numerous jigsaw puzzle pieces joined together without any steel or ferrous
elements," he explained.
More than 3,000 artisans in India have been hired to
carve icons and figures out of 5,000 tonnes of Italian Carrara marble, while
the temple's exterior will be made out of 12,250 tonnes of pink
sandstone.
Pavan Kapoor, the Indian ambassador to the UAE, and
Vipul, the Indian Consul General in Dubai, as well as other prominent
representatives of the Indian business community and members of the Community
Development Authority (CDA) of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, were present at the
event.
In his presentation to the crowd, Kapoor thanked the
UAE government and said it was a privilege and honor to be at the temple site
for the first time.
"Religion is a major role in feeling at
home," said Omar Al Muthanna, chief executive officer of the Dubai Chamber
of Commerce and Industry. The UAE isn't just a stopover. This is our promise to
you: we want you to feel entirely at ease." The CDA is a religious
observer appointed by the UAE government.
Pujya Brahmavihari Swamy, the senior-most saint of
the BAPS Swaminarayan temple group, presided over the ceremony and offered
special prayers for the smooth operation of the project and the wellbeing of
the UAE. According to him, a thick layer of sandstone has been put on the
ground of the Abu Mureikhah temple. "This shrine bridges the gaps that
separate us. It will be a location beyond the boundaries that divide us.
"It's something we've felt in the depths of our souls in the UAE,"
Das added while speaking to the audience.
"I am honored to be a part of this team as this
is the first time a project that will endure at least 1000 years is being
worked on," project structural engineer Dr. Kong Sia Keong told media
reporters.
The temple's foundation work has been completed,
according to project members. The installation of the pink stone will be
completed after the artisans from India arrive, according to Khaleej Times.
People working in the construction of the temple also released a video on
YouTube that revealed additional details about the project.
This temple is being built by the BAPS organization
for 450 dirhams (about Rs. 888 crores). On Abu Muraikhah, the temple covers 27
acres. Following the completion of the foundation works, the temple will be
built by layering sculpted stones and marble on top.
According to Gulf News, the final design of the traditional stone temple and photographs of the hand-carved stone pillar, which were created in India, were released in November 2020. Rajasthan pink stone and Italian Macedonian marble will be used to construct the temple, which will be built by artists from Rajasthan and Gujarat in India.
In the United Arab Emirates, there are 2.6 million Indians, accounting for 30% of the total population. The inauguration of the Hindu temple was a highly awaited event for Indians in the Gulf region, as Hinduism is practiced by the bulk of the Indian diaspora. The BAPS are constructing a temple at Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi that spans 20,000 square meters.
Dubai is home to the only other Hindu temple in the
Gulf country. The temple is a duplicate of the Akshardham temple in Delhi and
another BAPS temple in New Jersey, according to reports.
Signifance Of The Temple
The temple contains every characteristic of a
classic Indian temple, including seven spires that represent the UAE's seven
emirates and five elaborate domes; it was built according to the ancient Hindu
Shilpa shastras (Sanskrit scriptures of architecture).
Indian artisans are said to have hand-carved every
corner and fissure composed of pink Rajasthani stones and Macedonian
marble.
The temple's parts were shipped to the UAE and put
together there.
The cultural and spiritual center of Abu Dhabi's first Hindu temple includes six to seven prayer rooms, a meeting center, classroom, children's play areas, community center, halls, amphitheater, lush gardens, vegetarian food courts, a library, gift store, exhibition halls, a visitor's center, and more.
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