The first Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi, inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi, will open its doors to the public on March 1. The Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Swaminarayan Sanstha spent approximately Rs 700 crore building the temple on a 27-acre site close to Al Rahba.
Overseas devotees and VIPs had exclusive access from February 15 to 29, while the temple will now be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day except Mondays.
Built with 18 lakh bricks and 1.8 lakh cubic metres of sandstone from Rajasthan, the temple follows the Nagara style of architecture, similar to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
“Lord Ram, Lord Shiv, Lord Jagannath, Lord Krishna, Lord Swaminarayan, Tirupati Balaji, and Lord Ayappa are among the gods represented by the idols on the seven towers. The seven Shikhars stand in for the seven UAEs.
The temple boasts 402 pillars, two ghumats (domes), and 12 samrans (dome-like structures). Holy water from the Ganga and Yamuna flows on the temple’s sides, symbolising purity.
The temple, constructed by craftsmen from Gujarat and Rajasthan, features marble sculptures set against a background of sandstone made up of more than 25,000 stone fragments that were brought in from northern Rajasthan.
