Home Art & Culture First Hindu Temple Inaugurated in UAE

First Hindu Temple Inaugurated in UAE

First Hindu temple in UAE
First Hindu Temple Inaugurated in UAE
First Hindu temple in UAE
First Hindu Temple Inaugurated in UAE

The shrine will be the first traditional Hindu stone temple in the Middle East.

Thousands of followers flocked to attend the foundation stone laying ceremony of the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi. As per the Khaleej Times report, the four-hour ritual began on Saturday in the presence of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha’s spiritual leader.

The ‘Shilanyas Vidhi’ (foundation stone laying ceremony) was presided with rituals led by Ishwarcharan Swami. As many as 50 priests from India took part in the ceremony held at the UAE capital.

The temple will be built in phases with all pink stones and marbles being transported from Rajasthan, India. These stones will be hand-carved by Indian artisans.

The temple will be built in Abu Murekha, near Al Rahba. It will be the first traditional Hindu stone temple in the Middle East. The shrine is expected to be ready by the year 2020.

According to the priests, the temple is “the largest place in the UAE for people of all faiths to come and experience Hindu culture and religion.” The temple will be open for thousands of Hindus residing in the UAE.

The 10.9-hectare site of the temple will also house a cultural and spiritual centre to showcase Hindu heritage. “This time, the rulers of UAE have gone a step further by providing land to build a traditional Hindu temple,” said a priest. The land to build this temple was gifted by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

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