New India is ebullient. Less than a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the pran prathishta for the new Ram Temple in Ayodhya, he presided over the inauguration of the Arabian region’s first traditional stone temple, complete with flag staffs and human sculptures on its walls, in Abu Dhabi, on February 14. In grandeur and structure, it may seem a replica of the Ayodhya temple but in vision and mission, it is second to none.
Built on 27 acres gifted in 2015 by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan when he was Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) Hindu mandir seeks to satisfy the spiritual and religious needs of the UAE’s resident Hindu community and boost cultural tourism and bilateral trade.
The temple, situated at Abu Mureikhah on the outskirts of the UAE’s capital, is a creation of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, which builds and maintains Hindu temples worldwide from the U.S. to Australia. Commanding a height of 108 feet and length of 262 feet, the temple carefully dons a pan-Indian, West Asian and global imprint on its walls and pillars – from camels and elephants to the Museum of the Future and the Burj Al Arab. Its seven spires represent the seven emirates of the UAE, and each ensconces popular deities from various regions of India.
Prime Minister Modi, who was in Abu Dhabi on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in Dubai, said: “The President of the UAE, with his large heart, has fulfilled the dreams of millions of Indians.” Indian expatriates from over 3.5 million or 37% of the population of the UAE, with Hindus making up 25% of them.
Clad in lotus-hued robes, Mr. Modi called the pink sandstone and white marble temple a “lotus in the desert”. The inauguration brought to the venue an excited Indian community.
Bandana Jain, a long-time Dubai resident who attended the event, says the temple was a display of “strong Indo-UAE ties”. “Arabic calligraphy, hieroglyphics from Egypt, value tales from the Koran and the Bible, water bodies signifying India’s holiest rivers – all this and more create a harmonious blend that transcends borders and faiths.!”
For young Dubai professional Parvathi Shine, the temple is “a symbol of the UAE’s tradition of cultural acceptance and tolerance of people belonging to all faiths”. Her family plans to visit only in six months since temple authorities have urged UAE residents to wait until March 1 to register for a visit.
Religious diplomacy
The notion of tolerance is not alien to the UAE, whose official religion is Islam. Lands were gifted to build churches in the various emirates; and for a temple and gurdwara complex in Bur Dubai. The temple received an expansion in October 2022, when a 6,000-square-metre white temple that infuses Indian and Arabic architecture opened in Jebel Ali, Dubai.
The country has a Minister for Tolerance and Coexistence since 2016, who actively involves himself in various interfaith programmes. Tolerance is a much-canvassed word – 2019 was the Year of Tolerance, and a Tolerance Bridge opened in Dubai in 2017 on November 16, International Day of Tolerance, to symbolise the connection between 200 nationalities living in the city.
The year 2019 was a landmark year in the tolerance agenda as it witnessed the visit of Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, to the Muslim nation. A public mass conducted by the pontiff was attended by 135,000 people in an Abu Dhabi stadium – the same stadium that witnessed the Ahlan Modi event recently.
The crowning feature of the visit was the signing of the Document of Human Fraternity by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Professor Ahmad Al-Tayyeb; the decision to build the Abrahamic Family House, a multifaith complex comprising a mosque, a church and a synagogue to proclaim the oneness of the three Abrahamic religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism stemmed from it.
If there is anything amiss in the foundation stone enclosed in a glass case near the reception, it is the signature of the representative from the Jewish community, since the document was signed before the Abraham Accords.
The UAE and its brand of Islam are enshrined in the three identical yet distinct places of worship standing on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island. Conceived and designed by Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye, the three houses of worship are like cubes – devoid of spires, minarets, and domes – around an open courtyard. The exquisitely designed structures, with arches and lattices letting in copious sunlight and breeze, have been welcoming visitors and devotees since March 2023. While the Imam Al Tayyeb Mosque is oriented towards Mecca and the Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue towards Jerusalem, the St Francis Church faces the rising sun in the East.
“Since its inauguration a year ago, the Abrahamic Family House has opened its doors to hundreds of thousands of worshippers, visitors, delegations, and students from diverse backgrounds across the globe, to engage in meaningful discussions. We have hosted a variety of educational programmes and inter-religious workshops. Additionally, our three Houses of Worship have curated a comprehensive year-round calendar of religious services and events, bringing people together,” said Abdulla Al Shehhi, Acting Operations Executive Director of Abrahamic Family House.
While Indian churches have a presence in all the emirates, the biggest church in the country is the 1800-square-metre Russian Orthodox Church in Sharjah, with its ornate blue domes and gold gilded cross spires.
(Roshin Mary George is an independent journalist based in the UAE)
