Hindu temple to be built in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI: The capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abu Dhabi is all set to get its first Hindu temple with the foundation stone laying ceremony of the place of worship going to be held in April, according to Gulf News.

The plan to build the temple was approved by the Abu Dhabi government during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to the country in 2015. The organisation building the temple, the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Sanstha (BAPS), stated that its spiritual leader Mahant Swami Maharaj will preside over the event. The foundation stone laying ceremony of the temple will be held on April 20. While, the ground-breaking ceremony for the temple, located near Al Rahba off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway, was held a year ago.

The temple is being built on 55,000 square metres of land, and this year, to mark the UAE’s Year of Tolerance, the government has gifted another 55,000 sqm for parking facilities. The temple with seven towers representing the seven emirates in the UAE. Currently, the Shiva and Krishna Mandir in Dubai is the only Hindu temple in the UAE.