New India is ebullient. Less than a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the pran prathishta for the new Ram Temple in Ayodhya, he presided over the inauguration of the Arabian region’s first traditional stone temple, complete with flag staffs and human sculptures on its walls, in Abu Dhabi, on February 14. In grandeur and structure, it may seem a replica of the Ayodhya temple but in vision and mission, it is second to none.
Built on 27 acres gifted in 2015 by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan when he was Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) Hindu mandir seeks to satisfy the spiritual and religious needs of the UAE’s resident Hindu community and boost cultural tourism and bilateral trade.
The temple, situated at Abu Mureikhah on the outskirts of the UAE’s capital, is a creation of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, which builds and maintains Hindu temples worldwide from the U.S. to Australia. Commanding a height of 108 feet and length of 262 feet, the temple carefully dons a pan-Indian, West Asian and global imprint on its walls and pillars – from camels and elephants to the Museum of the Future and the Burj Al Arab. Its seven spires represent the seven emirates of the UAE, and each ensconces popular deities from various regions of India.
