UAE’s Hindu Mandir – A lotus blooms in the desert

The first ‘traditional hand-carved Hindu temple’ in Abu Dhabi promotes the “strategic vision” of Bharat and the UAE. The Gulf nation has the largest Indian diaspora population, estimated to be nearly 35 lakh followed by the United States (27 lakh) and Saudi Arabia (25 lakh).

Rajesh Korde

Vasant Panchami is one of the many auspicious days among Hindus. It indicates the beginning of the fertile spring season, a period of blossom.

This year’s Vasant Panchami, which falls on February 14, will be special to thousands of Hindus living in the Middle East, especially those in the United Arab Emirates. Bharat’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate Abu Dhabi’s landmark Hindu Mandir, days after consecrating the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya last month.

A long-standing request of the community is being fulfilled – “a lotus blossoming in the desert”.

For many years people would either meet in their friends’ homes to pray and celebrate festivals, or travel a distance of about 150 kilometres to Dubai, as the capital did not have a Hindu temple. The community mostly gathered at two small shrines – among the oldest in the country – built inside buildings with very narrow lanes in the Bur Dubai area of Dubai. Recently, another Hindu temple opened in Dubai’s Jebel Ali which is drawing thousands of worshippers daily. But the new temple in Abu Dhabi will bring the community closer.

After the Pran Pratistha ceremony by the priests and subsequent dedication of the UAE’s first traditional hand-carved Hindu temple by PM Modi, it will open to the public on February 18. The intricate pink sandstone and white marble structure, which cost about Rs 790 crores ($95.3 million) to build, is located in Abu Dhabi’s Abu Mureikha area, off the main motorway between Dubai and the UAE’s capital.

“On February 14 morning, there will be the murti pratishtha and in the evening, we will have a public dedication ceremony in the presence of Bharat’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Pranav Desai, the temple project director, said.

As part of the inauguration, a 12-day ‘Festival of Harmony’ from February 10 to 21 covering various Satsangs, religious programmes and family events have been organised. Nonagenarian Mahant Swami Maharaj, the sixth and present spiritual guru of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, has already reached Abu Dhabi for the Festival. The festival will also mark the different days — such as Day of Harmony, Civilisations, Gratitude, Peace, Values and Inspirations.

On February 11, there will be a grand ‘Nagar Parikrama’ of all the murtis that will be consecrated at the temple. Expatriates and artists from different states and regions of Bharat will engage in the processions. “Members of Maharashtra Mandal Abu Dhabi and Dubai will carry the Shiv-Parvati Palkhi along the Parikrama. We have lined up different themes such as dhol-tasha, lezim, Varkari-Bhakti movement, etc. – all related to Maharashtra’s culture and tradition that will be showcased during the procession,” Bhushan Chaudhari, president of the Abu Dhabi Mandal informed.

Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), the organisation that built the temple, described it as a sign of the openness and inclusion of the UAE, its leaders and people. “It would foster peace and also signified the close ties between the UAE and Bharat,” said Swami Brahmaviharidas, head of the international relations of the Sanstha. Co-operation between the nations has strengthened over the past decade with frequent visits by leaders of both the countries and major trade agreements signed.

It was PM Modi’s efforts and his close association with the UAE leadership, especially the President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, that has helped the Bharatiya community in getting this temple.

PM Modi, during his first visit to the UAE in 2015, marking it as the first Prime Minister of Bharat to travel to the Gulf country in 34 years after Indira Gandhi, requested Sheikh Mohamed, who was then the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, for a temple land which was honoured immediately.

He said all Bharatiyas are “eternally grateful” to the UAE and Sheikh Mohamed for granting land and permission for Abu Dhabi’s first temple.

Swami Brahmaviharidas described the UAE President as a “gentle leader with great space in his heart”. He recounted Sheikh Mohamed’s response when he was shown two plans for the temple – one contemporary and the other traditional.

“When we showed him, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, two plans in 2018 of whether to create a Hindu temple that looks like a conventional, normal building or one that looks like a traditional building carved out of stone that will take years to build and that revives 10,000 years of art and culture, very gently Sheikh Mohamed smiled and said – ‘Your Holiness, if you are building a temple it should look like a temple,’ Swami Brahmaviharidas said.

PM Modi launched the project in 2018 when he revealed the first model showing a monument with seven spires to reflect the seven Emirates of the UAE and five ornate domes.

The seven shrines will house deities across the different regions of Bharat — Akshar and Purushottam Swaminarayan; Radha and Krishna; Ram, Sita, and Hanuman; Shiv, Parvati, Kartik Swami, and Ganesh; Jagannath, Subhadra, and Baldev; Tirupati Balaji and Padmavati; and Ayyappa Swami.

Originally 5.4 hectares of land was allocated to the temple. But when the plan was placed before the UAE leaders, the area was increased to 11 hectares (more than 27 acres) to include community halls, children’s play and study area, prayer halls, an amphitheatre, a library and a large parking space in the complex.

After laying the foundation in 2019, following with the construction of the basement and the plinth area — the work that was slightly delayed owing to the Covid-19 pandemic — the BAPS started the ‘Brick Seva’ campaign, where people could donate for the construction while placing a brick.

“The gesture symbolised community involvement in the construction,” said Ashok Kotecha, chairman of the Hindu Mandir project. “It received overwhelming response from the Hindu expatriate community, not just from Bharat but also neighbouring countries, such as Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as well as visiting Bharatiya tourists and dignitaries of the other nations”.

The entire temple structure is adorned with more than 3,000 murtis embodying ancient stories from Hindu scriptures in its architecture. It took 2,000 artisans in Rajasthan and Gujarat to carve 402 white marble pillars over the past three years for the temple structure. Sculptures of animals, birds, musicians and even the Solar system and Moon adorn the temple. More than 20,000 tonnes of stone and marble were shipped from Bharat to Abu Dhabi in the past three years for the construction of the “landmark” structure.

Why the temple in the UAE is important

The first ‘traditional hand-carved Hindu temple’ in Abu Dhabi promotes the “strategic vision” of Bharat and the UAE. The Gulf nation has the largest Indian diaspora population, estimated to be nearly 35 lakh followed by the United States (27 lakh) and Saudi Arabia (25 lakh).

Apart from the sculptures from Bharatiya scriptures, there are also carvings of the civilisations of the Middle East. Bharat wants to highlight their ancient civilisation’s extensive links with the region, including trade, religion, and culture. Ties between the Middle East and the Bharat grew stronger in the past decade, ever since PM Modi took over in 2014, encompassing economic and strategic aspects.

Last month, representatives from 42 nations convened at the Mandir site in Abu Dhabi, at the invitation of the Bharatiya Embassy in the UAE. The visit of the envoys was served to foster intercultural understanding, goodwill and respect.

Tej Bahadur Chhetri, Ambassador of Nepal, called the Mandir a “tirthbhumi (place of pilgrimage)”, while Jonathan Knight, Deputy Ambassador of the United Kingdon said: “This building provides a home away from home”.

Bharat is developing a global mindset regarding global problems, maintaining its role as one of the leading powers in the multilateral BRICS. Last month, three Arab nations – Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt – also became members of BRICS, which Bharat, as a major economic partner of these countries (especially the Gulf states) welcomed.

Six years ago, when PM Modi launched this project, he had remarked that the temple will “reflect the ideal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – an ideal spiritual space, not merely rooted in beliefs and traditions, but a confluence of diverse cultures and civilisations. The essence of spiritual harmony, symbolising the path forward”.