NEWS – BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Abu Dhabi is the first Hindu temple in the Gulf nation.

WHAT IS BAPS?

• Built by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Denomination of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, a Vaishnav sect of Hinduism
• Has a network of around 1,550 temples across the world (Akshardham temples in New Delhi)

HISTORY

• Envisioned by Pramukh Swami Maharaj (tenth spiritual guru and head of the sect) in 1997 in the desert sands of Abu Dhabi which could bring countries, communities and cultures together
• Indian diaspora is almost 3.3-million strong in UAE, a huge percentage of the country’s population. Of these, some 150 to 200 families are BAPS Swaminarayan devotees
• Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, donated 13.5 acres of land for the temple’s construction during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit in 2015
• UAE Government further allocated an additional 13.5 acres of land in January 2019, bringing the total land gifted for the temple to 27 acres
• Foundation Stone was laid by Prime Minister Modi in on April 20, 2019.

WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF THE TEMPLE?

• Seven shikhars – representative of the seven Emirates of the UAE
• Nagar style
• Front panel depicts universal values, stories of harmony from different cultures
• Height – 108 ft + Length – 262 ft + Width 180 ft
• External facade uses pink sandstone from Rajasthan
• Interior uses Italian marbles
• Has two central domes, Dome of Harmony and Dome of Peace, emphasising human coexistence through the carvings of earth, water, fire, air, and plants
• A Wall of Harmony, one of the largest 3D-printed walls in the UAE, features a video showcasing key milestones of the temple’s construction
• Word ‘harmony’ has been written in 30 different ancient and modern languages
• Judged the Best Mechanical Project of the Year 2019 at the MEP Middle East Awards, and the Best Interior Design Concept of the Year 2020
• 96 bells and gaumukhs are installed around the path leading to the temple as a tribute to Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s 96 years of life
• Nano tiles have been used, which will be comfortable for visitors to walk on even in the hot weather.
• On the top left of the temple is a stone carving of the scene of Pramukh Swami Maharaj envisioning the temple in Abu Dhabi
• No ferrous material (which is more vulnerable to corrosion) has been used in the temple
• Many circular and hexagonal – special pillar, called the ‘Pillar of pillars’, which has around 1,400 small pillars carved into it
• Buildings surrounding the temple are modern and monolithic, with their colour resembling sand dunes.
• Deities from all four corners of India have been featured in the temple. These include Lord Ram, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman, Lord Shiv, Parvati, Ganpati, Kartikeya, Lord Jagannath, Lord Radha-Krishna, Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj (Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Gunatitanand Swami), Tirupati Balaji and Padmavati and Lord Ayappa
• Has some special features, like a ‘holy river’ surrounding it, for which waters from Ganga and Yamuna have been brought in. The river Saraswati has been depicted in the form of white light. A Varanasi-like ghat has been created where the ‘Ganga’ passes
• Apart from 15 value tales from Indian civilisation, stories from the Maya civilisation, Aztec civilisation, Egyptian civilisation, Arabic civilisation, European civilisation, Chinese civilisation and African civilisation have been depicted.