New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first Hindu stone temple, BAPS Mandir, in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. He arrived in Abu Dhabi for his official visit to the United Arab Emirates from February 13 to 14. He was welcomed by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the airport. This is the prime minister's seventh visit to the UAE since 2015 and the third in the last eight months.
On Wednesday, Modi will inaugurate the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Mandir, the first Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi.
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.
PM Modi Thanks UAE President Nahyan For Construction Of BAPS Temple
During his visit, PM Modi held bilateral meetings with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday. The two leaders discussed ways to further deepen, expand, and strengthen the strategic partnership between the countries and exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.
He thanked the UAE President for his support and his graciousness in granting the land for the construction of a Hindu temple
"The land for the temple was donated by the UAE government. The construction of the BAPS temple would not have been possible without your support," he said, as per PTI.
PM Modi exchanged several MoUs (Memorandums of Understanding) between India and UAE, in the presence of UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and PM Modi, ANI reported.
The UAE and India are among each other's top trading partners with a bilateral trade of about USD 85 billion in 2022-23, according to official data, the PTI report added.
The UAE is also among the top four investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments in 2022-23.
Modi is scheduled to travel to Doha on Wednesday afternoon after concluding his two-day visit to the UAE.