New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the UAE has scripted a golden chapter of history today as he inaugurated the first Hindu temple, BAPS Mandir, in Abu Dhabi. He said the temple will be a symbol of unity and harmony for the world.
Earlier today, the consecration ceremony of the BAPS Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi was held before its inauguration.
At the inauguration of the BAPS Hindu temple, PM Modi said, "UAE has written a golden chapter. The inauguration of the temple has years of hard work and dreams of many are connected with the temple. Swaminarayan's blessings are also connected."
He arrived in Abu Dhabi for his official visit to the United Arab Emirates from February 13 to 14. This is the prime minister's seventh visit to the UAE since 2015 and the third in the last eight months.
Modi said that no praise would be sufficient to laud the role of the UAE government in the construction of the BAPS temple.
He requested everyone to give a standing ovation to the President of UAE Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
"This temple will be a symbol of unity & harmony...The role of the UAE government in the construction of the temple is commendable," he said.
"UAE, which till now was known for Burj Khalifa, Future Museum, Sheikh Zayed Mosque, and other hi-tech buildings, has now added another cultural chapter to its identity. I am confident that a large number of devotees will come here in the coming times. This will also increase the number of people coming to UAE and people-to-people connections will also increase," Modi said.
"On behalf of the entire India and millions of Indians living around the world, I express my heartfelt gratitude to President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the UAE Government," he added.
"I worship Maa Bharti. 'Parmatma ne mujhe jitna samay dia hai uska har pal Maa Bharti kay liye hai'," the prime minister added.
The BAPS Hindu Mandir, located in Abu Mureikhah, near Al Rahba off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway, has come up on around 27 acres of land in Abu Dhabi and the work for the structure has been going on since 2019, reported PTI.
The land for the temple was donated by the UAE government.
The UAE has three other Hindu temples that are located in Dubai. The BAPS temple, spread over a large area with stone architecture, will be the largest of all in the Gulf region, as per the PTI report.
