First Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi BAPS Hindu Mandir will be opened to the public from March 1

The public is welcome to visit the first Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi, which was dedicated earlier this month. It opens on March 1. The temple was open to VIP visitors and abroad devotees who had pre-registered from February 15 to February 29.

The ancient BAPS Hindu Mandir has been in high demand from tourists, particularly those from overseas. It has been suggested that community members register via a dedicated website or the Festival of Harmony app to enter the temple starting on March 1. At least 3.5 million Indians labour in the Gulf, including the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE government provided the land for the shrine. At an approximate cost of Rs 700 crore, the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Swaminarayan Sanstha constructed the temple on a 27-acre plot of land in Abu Mureikhah, next to Al Rahba off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway.  On February 14, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the majestic temple in front of more than 5,000 invited guests.

Built with 1.8 lakh cubic metres of Rajasthani sandstone and 18 lakh bricks, the temple is designed in the Nagara architectural style. The Shilpa and Sthapathya Shastras, Hindu texts that outline the craft of mandir design and construction, indicate an old method of construction and creation that is adhered to by the temple officials when building the magnificent temple. 

The architecture of the stone temple has seven spires that symbolise the seven Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, as well as carvings of camels and the national bird, the falcon, to provide equal representation to the host nation.

In addition to fifteen Indian legends, such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the temple also features representations of stories from the Mayan, Aztec, Egyptian, Arabic, European, Chinese, and African civilizations. 

The temple's interior, which is composed of white Italian marble, is decorated with finely carved and designed columns and walls, while the outside is constructed of Indian sandstone. 

Aside from the two ghumats (domes), there are twelve samrans (structures resembling domes), and forty-two pillars. The "Dome of Peace" and the "Dome of Harmony" are the two ghumats. 

Holy water from the Yamuna and Ganga, which were transported from India in enormous containers, flows on both sides of the shrine.

Beautiful marble sculptures made from more than 25,000 pieces of stone by knowledgeable craftspeople from Rajasthan and Gujarat are shown on the temple's exterior against a backdrop of sandstone. For the temple, a sizable quantity of pink sandstone was shipped from northern Rajasthan to Abu Dhabi.