Marking a significant milestone for the Indian community in the Middle East, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Abu Dhabi's first Hindu temple, which is also the largest in the region.
Spread over 27 acres and built at a cost of over Rs 700 crore, the BAPS Hindu temple is also seen as a sign of the deepening relationship between India and the United Arab Emirates.
PM Modi also participated in a 'global aarti (prayer)', which was performed simultaneously at over 1,200 temples built by BAPS. The Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir or BAPS Hindu Mandir, is spread over a 27-acre piece of land. The temple is 108 feet high and 180 feet wide and its seven spires represent the seven emirates.
The temple has 402 pillars and iron has not been used in any of them, making it the first Hindu stone temple in UAE. The pillars in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple are made of white Italian marble.
The pillars have intricate carvings of deities and symbols central to the Hindu religion. Seven shrines of different deities including, Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, Lakshmi, and Lord Shiv, are present in the temple.
"Dome of Harmony has different levels. These levels represent the fire, earth, air, water and space. The shank represents water, Tej represents the sun and running Deers represent air," a volunteer told NDTV.
"Every pillar inside the sanctum sanctorum is unique and every pillar has its pillar. There are 1,400 pillars, protected by a transparent shield. They represent differences, but they all make one pillar," the volunteer added.
The depiction of different civilizations on pillars makes the temple's architecture unique. Apart from Indian civilization, stories are taken from the Maya, Aztec, Egyptian, Arabic, European, Chinese and African civilizations etc.
In a shrine of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita, the Ramayan has been carved on the stones and 'shankh' (shell) and sun have been sculpted on the dome of the shrine. The Vedic-style temple has two central domes - the 'Dome of Harmony' and the 'Dome of Peace'.
The fine detailing in sculpting the deities and symbols makes the temple an architectural brilliance.
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