No iron material is used in the temple.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, marking the end of his packed visit to the UAE. The inauguration of the BAPS temple, built for Rs 700 crore, is being seen as a key moment for the Hindu community in UAE.
Here are top facts about the temple
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Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir or BAPS Hindu Mandir is spread over a 27-acre piece of land.
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In 2015, then crown prince and current UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, donated 13.5 acres of land for the construction of the first temple in the UAE. In 2019, he gifted an additional 13.5 acres.
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The temple represents the idea of coexistence – A Muslim king donated land for a Hindu Mandir, where the lead architect is a Catholic Christian, the Project Manager is a Sikh, and the Foundational designer is a Buddhist. Construction Company is a Parsi group, and the director comes from a Jain tradition.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the ‘Ahlan Modi’ event shared an anecdote and said “In 2015, when I presented to him (Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed) the proposal to build a temple in Abu Dhabi on behalf of all of you, he immediately said yes to it…now the time has come to inaugurate this grand (BAPS) temple.”
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Buildings surrounding the mandir are modern, minimalistic and monolithic. Symbolically 7 spires pay respect to the seven emirates of the UAE.
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The iconic stone temple is located in Abu Mureikhah, near Al Rahba off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway.
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The cost of the construction of the temple is estimated to be around 400 million United Arab Emirates dirhams, as per reports.
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Just like all other BAPS mandirs around the world, this mandir is open to everyone and anyone.
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The front side panel has lifesize panels of universal values, stories of harmony from different cultures, and representation of Avatars and Hindu Spiritual leaders.
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The external facade of the mandir uses pink sandstone from Rajasthan. The mandir interior uses Italian marble with two central domes – ‘The Dome of Harmony’ and ‘The Dome of Peace’.
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No iron material is used in the temple. Different types of pillars can be seen in the temple like circular, and hexagonal.
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There are idols of historic figures, sages, and acharyas, who have sustained these values, that plinth is known as the plinth of values. Apart from Indian civilization, stories are taken from the Maya, Aztec, Egyptian, Arabic, European, Chinese and African civilizations etc.
