Abu Dhabi: The Indian expat community in the UAE will be able to celebrate the much-anticipated opening ceremony of the first Hindu temple coming up in Abu Dhabi on February 15, 2024, the temple management has revealed.
The public dedication ceremony will be part of a “Festival of Harmony” which will see a series of religious and community events to mark the phased opening of the BAPS Hindu Mandir from February 10.
The community event on February 15 is scheduled to be attended by esteemed dignitaries and Pujya Mahant Swami Maharaj, the main guru and president of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) which is building the first traditional Hindu temple in the region with marbles and pink sandstones.
The two-hour mass ceremony that will begin at 6pm requires registration. Though an app of Festival of Harmony has been launched, details of the registration are not yet announced.
Series of ceremonies
The general public will be allowed entry at the temple and its cultural centre for visit and worship from February 18.
“The BAPS Hindu Mandir will be open to the world from February 18, 2024! One and all will be able to have darshan [viewing] of the deities residing in the mandir. Events and religious ceremonies before this day will be reserved for the registered and invited only,” the temple management has said on its website and app.
The first in the series of opening ceremonies will be a special prayer ceremony which will be held from 6pm to 8pm on February 10. It will be restricted only to contributors who have supported the construction of the temple.
On February 11, there will be a prayer ceremony seeking blessings for global harmony. By tradition, the management said, esteemed spiritual people and couples are privileged to participate in this ceremony. Couples have been invited to contribute and register for the ceremony to be held from 10am to 12 noon.
The religious inauguration of the temple will be held with prayers for the statues of Hindu deities led by Maharaj on February 14. This event from 8am to 12 noon will be restricted to invited guests.
The details of the opening ceremonies have been made public after a UAE minister reviewed the progress of the temple and the plans for the temple’s opening earlier this month.
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence received Brahmaviharidas Swami, head priest of BAPS Hindu Mandir, along with other BAPS priests and volunteers at his private Royal Majlis in Abu Dhabi, the temple management had announced.
Revealing the details of the opening ceremonies on the temple’s website and the microsite for the Festival of Harmony, the management said the festival celebrates the first of its kind, historic and iconic BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, destined to become a spiritual oasis for global harmony. “This majestic, traditionally hand-carved stone temple and cultural complex celebrates the past and recalibrates the future.”
Timeless testament
It added that the temple is a timeless testament to the generosity, fraternity, and humanity of the leaderships of the UAE, India, and the world community at large.
With seven towers representing the seven emirates in the UAE, temple complex is coming up on a 27-acre land donated by the Abu Dhabi government at Abu Mureikhah, close to the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway.
The 55,000 sqm temple features intricate architecture and delicate carvings that re-tell ancient stories from Indian scriptures about peace and spirituality. The temple’s final master plan revealed in a video earlier had showed a massive amphitheatre overlooking the shrine. A library, a classroom, a majlis and a community centre have also been featured within the compound. Waterfalls flanking the steps to the entrance of the shrine, and water bodies circling the temple complex could also be seen in the video.
The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the model of the temple in February 2018, marking the launch of the project after the UAE government allotted the land for it during his previous visit in August 2015.
