Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
He will inaugurate the first Hindu temple built in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday 14 February. BAPS, the organization that built Akshardham temple in Delhi, has also constructed it.
The sacred water of Ganga and Yamuna is flowing on both sides of this temple, which has been brought from India in big containers. According to the temple authorities, a ghat-shaped amphitheater has been built on the side where the waters of the Ganga flow.
Apart from the sacred waters of Ganga and Yamuna, pink sandstone from Rajasthan and furniture made from wooden boxes used to transport the stones from India have also been used in the temple.
This temple in Abu Dhabi is the first Hindu temple, which is an architectural marvel made up of contributions from different parts of the country and is a symbol of Hindustani craftsmanship.
Referring to the reason behind flowing the water of Ganga-Yamuna on both sides of the temple, Vishal Patel, the head volunteer of this historical temple, said, “The idea behind this is to make it look like the Ghats of Varanasi, where people can sit, meditate.” And the memories of the ghats built in India become fresh in their minds. When tourists enter, they will see two streams of water which symbolically represent the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in India. To create the ‘Triveni’ Sangam, a beam of light will come from the structure of the temple which will reflect the Saraswati river.”
Features of the temple:
This Hindu temple is built on about 27 acres of land, which is located near Al Rahba on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway. It has been built by Bochasan resident Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).
The façade of the temple has exquisite marble carvings on sandstone, carved from over 25,000 stone pieces by skilled artisans from Rajasthan and Gujarat.
A large quantity of pink sandstone has been brought to Abu Dhabi from northern Rajasthan for the temple.
Stones brought in containers from India:
Vishal Brahmbhatt, who oversees procurement and materials at the temple site, said that more than two lakh cubic feet of ‘sacred’ stone has been brought in more than 700 containers for the construction of the temple.
He said, “Pink sandstone has been brought from India. The stone carving has been done by the local sculptors and it has been installed by the workers here. “After this the artists have finalized the design here.”
The wooden boxes and containers in which the stones were brought to Abu Dhabi have been used to make furniture in the temple.
Swami Brahmaviharidas, head of international relations for BAPS, said, “The furniture kept in the prayer hall, cafeteria, community center etc. in the temple is made from the wood of the boxes and containers used to bring the stones. There is a part of India in every corner of the temple.”
Temple construction work going on since 2019:
The construction work of this temple is going on since 2019. The land for the temple has been donated by the United Arab Emirates. The foundation stone of the temple was laid by PM Modi in 2017.
There are three more Hindu temples in the UAE which are located in Dubai. Spread over a large area with amazing architecture and carvings, the BAPS Temple will be the largest temple in the Gulf region.
The land for this temple has been donated by the United Arab Emirates. There are three more Hindu temples in the UAE which are located in Dubai.
Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate this newly constructed temple on Wednesday. He has reached Abu Dhabi from today on a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates. This is his seventh visit to the Gulf country since 2015 and his third in the last eight months.