Foundation stone of first temple in UAE being laid today

ABU DHABI: The foundation stone of the first traditional Hindu temple of United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be laid in Abu Dhabi today (Saturday).

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan and Indian Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Suri are expected to attend the ceremony.

The foundation ceremony will be webcast via the official website of the temple https://www.mandir.ae/ at 7pm UAE time while the prayers will start from Saturday afternoon. The temple is being built in Abu Mureikha located near Al Rahba off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway. During the ceremony, the priests will offer prayers and sanctify pink sandstone slabs that will form the base of the temple and is expected to be ready by next year. There are more than 40 churches in the UAE, a Sikh gurdwara and two small Hindu shrines tucked inside buildings in Bur Dubai.