Abu Dhabi’s first hindu temple

• Prime Minister recently inaugurated Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu stone temple.
• The temple has been built by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).
• The UAE has three other Hindu temples that are located in Dubai.

ABOUT THE TEMPLE

• The BAPS temple is built on a 27-acre site in Abu Mreikhah, near Al Rahba off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway, at a cost of around ₹700 crore.
• Constructed with 18 lakh bricks, seven lakh man hours and 1.8 lakh cubic metres of sandstone sourced directly from Rajasthan, Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple has been made in the Nagara style of architecture.
• Over 300 high-tech sensors have been installed at every level of the temple to measure temperature, pressure and movement (seismic activity).
• No metal has been used in the construction of the temple and fly ash has been used to fill up the foundation, replacing 55 per cent of cement in the concrete mix, reducing the carbon footprint of the temple.
• Heat-resistant nano tiles and heavy glass panels have been used considering the extreme temperatures in the UAE.
• The work for the structure has been going on since 2019.
• The land for the temple was donated by the UAE government.
• The BAPS temple, spread over a large area with stone architecture, will be the largest of all in the Gulf region.