PM Modi Addresses Press Conference Ahead of Inauguration of the First Hindu Temple in UAE

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 traditional Hindu stone mandir 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.

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About BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Dubai

• BAPS, abbreviated as Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, features a socio-spiritual Hindu faith rooted in the Vedas, was colonized by Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781-1830) in the 18th century, and was subsequently founded by Shastriji Maharaj.
• A traditional Hindu mandir, BAPS Hindu Mandir, Dubai, stands at a height of 108 feet, 262 feet in length, and 180 feet in width. The much-coveted mandir is located at Abu Mureikhah, which is near Al Rahba 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 come 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.