UAE’s first BAPS Hindu temple to be inaugurated by PM Modi on February 14

PTI

Abu Dhabi, February 7

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, the first traditional Hindu stone temple in the UAE, on February 14, according to an official press release from BAPS Hindu Mandir.

Ahead of the grand opening of the temple on a 27-acre piece of land in Abu Mureikhah district, Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS, has arrived in the UAE.

“Welcome to the UAE. Our nation is blessed with your presence. We are touched by your kindness and we feel your prayers,” Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Mubarak Al Nahyan said.

In response, Swami Maharaj warmly replied, “We are touched by your love and respect. The leaders of the UAE are great, good, and large-hearted.”      

The inauguration of the iconic Mandir would be celebrated through the Festival of Harmony – a series of uplifting programs and community events focused on strengthening faith, mobilising community service, and inspiring harmony among people of all generations and backgrounds, the BAPS said in a press release.

For decades, Hindus in the UAE have nurtured their faith through weekly satsang assemblies, gatherings dedicated to prayer, spiritual discourses, and community building. These assemblies, further strengthened by regular visits of spiritual leaders from India, provided a sense of belonging and shared purpose. It was within this fertile ground of devotion and community spirit that the dream of a mandir truly blossomed, the release said.

A defining moment arrived in February 2018, when the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan generously gifted a plot of land, demonstrating the UAE’s unwavering commitment to interfaith dialogue, the release said.

This gesture, further strengthened by PM Modi’s launch of the project at the Dubai Opera that same month marked a historic chapter in interfaith relations, it added.

The visit by PM Modi would further signify the close ties between India and the UAE. This would be Modi’s seventh visit to UAE as the prime minister.

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