Stone from Rajasthan, artificial river created from Ganga waters, Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple is steeped in symbolism

Around 50 km away stands the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the country’s largest mosque, which receives 50,000 visitors — worshippers and tourists alike — on a daily basis.

In a unique gesture in April 2019, ahead of the temple’s foundation-stone laying ceremony, UAE’s Minister of Tolerance Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak had taken Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS, and 50 other senior priests from India on a tour of the mosque. The Mahant not only paid respects to the 99 names of Allah that are calligraphed on the wall of the mosque, but also signed the guest book, praising the efforts of the UAE government and its people in promoting global harmony.

The 13.5 acres on which the temple complex is built was gifted by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE in 2019, says a BAPS office-bearer. Built at a height of 108 feet, the temple is also fitted with 300 earthquake sensors.

The temple’s external facade uses pink sandstone from Rajasthan. The stone was carved in Rajasthan and then shipped to Abu Dhabi. (Photo: BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha)

Talking to The Indian Express over telephone from Abu Dhabi, Lina Barot, a volunteer and BAPS office-bearer, said, “Considering the warm climate of UAE, nano tiles have been used. These will be comfortable for visitors to walk even in hot weather. Non-ferrous material has also been used in the temple.”

The temple’s traditional Nagara style follows in the tradition of other Swaminarayan temples across the world, including New Delhi’s Akshardham Temple. However, several new elements have been included in the Abu Dhabi temple to “bring the two nations and cultures together”, Barot adds.

For instance, the temple has been assigned seven shikhars (spires), representing the seven Emirates that come together to form the UAE. At the entrance, eight idols symbolise universal values such as faith, charity and compassion. Various landmarks from across the world — East to West — have also been shown, while the word ‘harmony’ has been written in 30 different ancient and modern languages on the Wall of Harmony.

The temple’s external facade uses pink sandstone from Rajasthan. The interiors use Italian marble. “Interestingly, 20,000 tonnes of sandstone pieces were carved in Rajasthan and then shipped to Abu Dhabi in 700 containers,” Barot told The Indian Express.

Not just the stone, many labourers who helped construct the temple over five years belong to Gujarat and Rajasthan. Even the marble mined from Italy was first shipped to India for carving and then back to the UAE to be used in the interiors.

The temple’s interiors use Italian marble. The marble, mined from Italy, was first shipped to India for carving and then back to the UAE. (Photo: BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha)

Sanjay Parikh, BAPS head of procurement and design who has led the building of over 40 such temples around the world, says, “The best thing, we have realised, is for the artists to work near their homes rather than on a temple site for years.”

Besides bringing a tiny slice of India in a vast desert space, the Abu Dhabi temple has also given space to deities from across the country, including Lord Ram, Lord Shiv, Lord Jagannath, Lord Krishna, Lord Swaminarayan (considered a reincarnation of Lord Krishna), Tirupati Balaji and Lord Ayappa.

To build a temple of this scale in a desert, engineering experts and consultants from other parts of the world were roped in. Sia Keong Kong from Malaysian firm SOE Consult Sdn Bhd, which has expertise in design of structures in geographic regions with high seismic/high-wind design requirements, worked on this temple, says BAPS. Besides them, Vasiahmed Behlim UAE’s RSP Architects Planners and Engineers worked as the lead structural engineer, while Shapoorji Pallonji was as the project executor.

Apart from 15 tales from India, including the Ramayana and Mahabharata, stories from Mayan, Aztec, Egyptian, Arabic, European, Chinese and African civilizations have also been depicted in the temple. The structure is surrounded by rivers that were created artificially from waters of the Ganga and Yamuna. The Saraswati is represented in the form of a white light. Varanasi-like ghats have been created on one side, through which the artificial river passes.

Many labourers who helped construct the temple belong to Gujarat and Rajasthan. (Photo: BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha)

To give equal representation to the host country, along with animals that occupy an important place in Indian mythology like elephants, camels and lions, the UAE’s national bird, the falcon, has also been included in the design.

No wonder then, while reading out a message from PM Modi at the foundation-stone laying ceremony of the temple, then Indian Ambassador Navdeep Suri had said, “When complete, this mandir will symbolise the universal human values, and spiritual ethos that form a shared heritage of both India and UAE…. The UAE is celebrating the Year of Tolerance. This Mandir, is an expression by the UAE, of their love, friendship and faith in India and the Indian community.”