PM Modi Speaks Ahead of UAE’s First Hindu Temple

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to inaugurate the UAE’s historic BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, which is touted to be the first Hindu temple in the Middle East. Public access will commence on March 1, 2024.

The Indian Prime Minister said in his message ahead of the temple’s inauguration on February 14.

Well, the symbolism is clear, and I don’t hide it. For a ruler, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to have space in his heart to allow the first traditional stone temple in this part of the region in the history of humanity, I think all of us need to join our hands and applaud the rulers and the leaders of this nation,” further said Modi in a press conference in Dubai.

About BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Dubai

• BAPS, short for Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, is a Vedic-rooted socio-spiritual Hindu organization. Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781–1830) initiated the movement in the 18th century, and Shastriji Maharaj later formally established the organization.
• A traditional Hindu mandir, BAPS Hindu temple, Dubai, stands at a height of 108 feet, 262 feet in length, and 180 feet in width. The much-coveted mandir stands in Abu Mureikhah, near Al Rahba, just off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway.
• Meanwhile, Dubai’s BAPS Mandir houses the deities of Swaminarayan, Akshar-Purushottam, Radha-Krishna, Rama-Sita, Lakshmana, Hanuman, Shiva-Parvati, Ganesha, Kartikeya, Padmavati-Venkateshwara, Jagannath, and Ayyappan. Normally, our temples are either one spire, three, or five, but here, the seven spires express our gratitude to the unity of the seven emirates. But at the same time, the seven spires enshrine seven important deities,” concluded Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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