- Sunday, February 23, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
In what could be a major booster of India’s relation with the Middle East, pink sandstones hand-carved by thousands of sculptors have started arriving from its shores at the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Mureikha area off Sheikh Zayed between capital Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Political and diplomatic leaders on both sides have called the occasion a major leap forward.
The arrival of the construction material was revealed in a video posted to YouTube by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, the organisation which is responsible for building the temple. The group said more than 40 containers with 750 tonnes of carved and semi-carved pink sandstone reached the site and that “many hundreds more” were expected to arrive in the next few years, The National reported.
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UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan said at a webinar that his country expressed solidarity with India and with other countries of the world in the times of the Covid-19 pandemic. Indian Ambassador to the UAE Pavan Kapoor said the construction of the temple is in progress with the blessings of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He even called the temple a national project for both the UAE and India which is making a positive contribution to the bilateral relationship between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi
“To see the amazing progress that has been made despite the times of Covid is extremely reassuring and encouraging. This is a national project, not just for the UAE, but the government of India, and it is contributing to both India and the UAE and to the bilateral relationship,” The Indian envoy said.
‘A milestone in UAE-India relationship’
Consul General of India in Dubai Dr Aman Puri praised the host nation saying it stood tall as a symbol of tolerance and the entire world found an inspiration in it.
“This project is a milestone in the UAE-India relationship, and it is due to the vision of the leadership here in the UAE supported by the Indian community here. What is happening in the UAE is an example for the entire world.”
Pujya Brahmavihari Swami of BAPS Hindu Mandir said the temple was an example of global harmony. “Imagine a Muslim King donating land to a Hindu temple where the lead architect of the entire complex is a Christian Catholic, where the chief consultant is a Chinese of perhaps no religion, but just dedication, the project manager is a Sikh and our construction company is Shapoorji Pallonji – Parsis,” he said.
The land for setting up the temple was given to the Indian community by Mohamed bin Zayed.
Michael Magill, managing director of RSP, the construction company which is handling the project, called the moment “historic” and “emotional”.
“Today is a very historic moment,” he said, adding: “It’s really an emotional moment to actually see the space and the sheer scale of the temple itself, and to also see the beautiful intricate carvings of the stone that has come all the way from India.”
The project, which will be the UAE first traditional Hindu temple, is expected to be built by 2023. It will be the largest shrine in the Sheikhdom.
