A grand Hindu temple, the first in the UAE, has been built in Abu Dhabi at a cost of over 700 crores. The temple is now complete and will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 14. The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha was responsible for the construction of the temple. The organization has invited several UAE leaders for the inauguration ceremony.
Swami Brahmaviharidas, head of the international wing of BAPS, said the temple will be a symbol of goodwill and tolerance. He expressed his gratitude to the UAE leaders for granting permission to build the temple. The temple will be a religious place for Hindus, but the main purpose of BAPS is to promote goodwill on this earth. The temple will promote peace and be a symbol of the close ties between India and the UAE, he said.
The organization also praised the contributions received for the temple from the UAE's founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, to President Sheikh Mohammed. The Crown Prince had donated the land for the temple. The UAE President is a large-hearted and generous leader. In the presence of Prime Minister Modi, we presented two plans in 2018. One was a traditional generic building, and the other was made of stone. The Prime Minister then said that if you are building a temple, it should look like a temple.