The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha constructed the traditional Hindu temple known as the BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Dedicated on February 14, 2024, by Mahant Swami Maharaj, and inspired by Pramukh Swami Maharaj (1921–2016), this is the first traditional Hindu mandir to be fully digitally modelled and seismically simulated. The mandir is 262 feet long, 180 feet wide, and 108 feet tall. More than 690,000 hours were donated to the construction by more than 200 volunteers from the Gulf, the United States, the United Kingdom, India, and the United Arab Emirates. Italian marble and pink sandstone from northern Rajasthan are used to build the mandir.
Pramukh Swami Maharaj had the idea for an Abu Dhabi mandir in 1997, and the UAE government declared in August 2015 that they would supply the land for the mandir. The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, donated 27 acres of land for the mandir. On February 14, Prime Minister Modi will open the historic BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Abu Dhabi, which will be a momentous occasion for the Hindu population in the city. Opening to the public is on March 1.
On February 14, celebrities, including Akshay Kumar, attended the grand opening of the BAPS mandir in Abu Dhabi. The actor talked about his spiritual encounter and posted a photo of the temple to social media. In addition to Akshay Kumar, other attendees of the BAPS Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha temple inauguration in Abu Dhabi were Vivek Oberoi, Shankar Mahadevan, and Dilip Joshi.
Akshay shared a picture of the beautiful temple on Instagram and wrote, “Blessed to be a part of the inauguration of the BAPS Swaminarayan temple at Abu Dhabi. What a historic moment!! .” PM Modi expressed gratitude to UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed following the ceremony for “fulfilling the aspirations of crores of Indians”.
Mahadevan, said about the grand opening, “Epic event that’s happened here in Abu Dhabi. Something that I think we can only dream of and dream has come true. A beautiful mandir has come up over here. And today was the inauguration at the hands of our prime minister. And it is such a beautiful temple and it’s really great of the UAE government also to join hands with our culture. We have such a historical happening today.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarked during the inaugural ceremony, “UAE, which till now was known for Burj Khalifa, Future Museum, Sheikh Zayed Mosque and other hi-tech buildings, has now added another cultural chapter to its identity. I am confident that a large number of devotees will come here in the coming times.” He also added- “This will also increase the number of people coming to UAE and people-to-people connections will also increase. On behalf of the entire India and millions of Indians living around the world, I express my heartfelt gratitude to President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the UAE Government.”
-Subhangee Mandal