BAPS Hindu Temple: All About Abu Dhabi's First Temple to be Inaugurated by PM Modi

Weeks after the Ram Mandir’s consecration in Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate another significant temple in Abu Dhabi on February 14.

The BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi is the first Hindu temple in UAE, situated in the capital’s Abu Mureikha area.

The temple is expected to be one of the largest and most beautiful Hindu temples outside of India and the largest Hindu temple in West Asia.

All About the Temple

During PM Modi’s first visit to the UAE in 2015, the UAE decided to allot land for building a temple in Abu Dhabi. The PM’s visit was crucial diplomatically as he became the first Indian Prime Minister after Indira Gandhi to visit this strategic Gulf nation in 34 years.

In February 2018, the PM inaugurated the project for the temple and the construction began in December 2019. The temple is being constructed on over 5.4 hectares of land and constructed at a cost of Rs 700 crore.

The vast complex will include a large amphitheatre, a gallery, a library, a food court, a majlis and two community halls with space for 5,000 people. It will also have gardens and children’s play areas.

It will incorporate intricately designed pink sandstone and marble façade with seven spires that represent each of the Emirates of the country. The temple has been made of 40,000 cubic metres of marble, 1,80,000 cubic metres of sandstone and over 1.8 million bricks.

The temple’s design draws inspiration from Vedic architecture and sculptures. Many of the statues and carvings have been done by artisans in India and have been shipped to Abu Dhabi. The consecration ceremony of the temple is scheduled for 14 February 2024 as it falls on the auspicious Basant Panchami.

What is the BAPS organisation?

BAPS stands for the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). The organisation is named after Bhagwan Swaminarayan, a religious leader who lived in the late 1700s.

It is a socio-spiritual Hindu faith with its roots in the vedas and was pioneered by Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781-1830) in the late 18th century and established in 1907 by Shastriji Maharaj (1865-1951), according to the BAPS website.

The BAPS claims to run over 3,850 centres across the world and 1,100 temples. The organisation was also behind the Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey, which is also the world’s largest Hindu temple outside of India.

Akshardham Mahamandir, located 99 kilometres south of New York City, is in an area of 185 acres in New Jersey and stands at 191 feet high. During the construction of the temple, 1.9 million cubic feet of stone were used and brought from over 29 different sites around the world, including Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, Turkey and India. The Akshardham temples in Delhi and Gujarat are also run by BAPS.