Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple is made of the sacred water of Ganga-Yamuna and pink sandstone of Rajasthan – Dainik Savera Times

Abu Dhabi: The sacred waters of the Ganga and Yamuna, the pink sandstone of Rajasthan, furniture made from wooden boxes used to transport the stones from India – Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple is an architectural marvel made up of contributions from different parts of the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate this temple on Wednesday. The sacred water of Ganga and Yamuna is flowing on both sides of the temple, which has been brought from India in big containers. According to the temple authorities, a ghat-shaped amphitheater has been built on the side where the waters of the Ganga flow.

Vishal Patel, the head volunteer of this historical temple, said, ‘The idea behind this is to make it look like the ghats of Varanasi, where people can sit, meditate and the memories of the ghats built in India are refreshed in their minds. When tourists enter, they will see two streams of water which symbolically represent the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in India. To create ‘Triveni’ Sangam, a ray of light will come from the structure of the temple which will reflect the Saraswati river.

The Hindu temple built by Bochasan resident Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) located near Al Rahba on Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway has been built on about 27 acres of land. The façade of the temple has exquisite marble carvings on sandstone, carved from over 25,000 stone pieces by skilled artisans from Rajasthan and Gujarat. A large quantity of pink sandstone has been brought to Abu Dhabi from northern Rajasthan for the temple. Vishal Brahmbhatt, who oversees procurement and materials at the temple site, said that more than 2 lakh cubic feet of ‘sacred’ stone has been brought in more than 700 containers for the construction of the temple.

He said, ‘Pink sandstone has been brought from India. The stone carving has been done by the local sculptors and it has been installed by the workers here. After this, the artists have finalized the design here.” The wooden boxes and containers in which the stones were brought to Abu Dhabi have been used to make furniture in the temple. Swami Brahmaviharidas, head of international relations for BAPS, said, ‘The furniture kept in the prayer hall, cafeteria, community center etc. in the temple is made from the wood of the boxes and containers used to bring the stones. There is a part of India in every corner of the temple.

The construction work of this temple is going on since 2019. The land for the temple has been donated by the United Arab Emirates. There are three more Hindu temples in the UAE which are located in Dubai. Spread over a large area with amazing architecture and carvings, the BAPS Temple will be the largest temple in the Gulf region. Prime Minister Modi will begin a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates from today. This is his seventh visit to the Gulf country since 2015 and his third in the last eight months.