Important Guidelines for Visitors & Temple Location
Visit https://www.mandir.ae/book-visit to schedule your visit to the BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi and adhere to the Visitor Guidelines for a safe, enjoyable, and respectful experience.
Location
BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi
https://maps.app.goo.gl/z5hRKJZpLr1ZpsVJA
Dress code guidelines for visitors
The BAPS Hindu Mandir is a place for worship, so we request that all visitors and worshippers dress respectfully.
Please adhere to the specified dress code: Make sure to cover the body from the neck to the elbows and ankles. Clothing items like caps, t-shirts, and other apparel with offensive designs are prohibited. Avoid wearing see-through or form-fitting attire. Refrain from wearing garments and accessories that create loud sounds or glare.
Visitors who do not adhere to these guidelines in their attire or whose clothing is considered inappropriate by our staff may be refused entry.
Process of entering
Please factor in additional time for passing through security checks at arrival, as we conduct routine checks using metal detector gates and luggage X-ray machines.
Kindly be aware that there are no cloakroom or locker services provided at the mandir site.
Individuals with disabilities (divyang)
Wheelchairs and other devices for mobility are accepted at the mandir. Individuals with disabilities will receive preferential treatment at the entrance line. Regrettably, we are unable to permit guide dogs or other animals to enter the building.
Taking pictures, shooting videos, and capturing audio.
Taking pictures and recording videos on mobile phones is permitted at the BAPS Hindu Mandir, but only for personal, non-commercial purposes.
Taking photos using cameras for personal, business, or media purposes requires approval beforehand. You can request this by sending an email to press@mandir.ae
The BAPS Hindu Mandir’s approved staff members can take photos of visitors for promotional and archival use. Visitors authorize the Mandir to utilize the images for promotional, communication, and archiving purposes, with the condition that visitors are not the main focus.
Abu Dhabi’s BAPS Hindu Temple
The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha constructed the traditional Hindu mandir, known as the BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi, in the UAE. This is the initial traditional Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, inspired by Pramukh Swami Maharaj (1921-2016) and consecrated (prana Pratishtha) by Mahant Swami Maharaj on 14 February 2024.
In 1997, Pramukh Swami Maharaj had a vision of building a mandir in Abu Dhabi. In August 2015, the UAE government made public their intention to offer the land for the mandir. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, donated 27 acres of land for the mandir. Legal status was achieved by the mandir in September 2019, with construction beginning in December of the same year. The temple is made from pink sandstone sourced from northern Rajasthan and marble imported from Italy. The temple is 108 feet high, 262 feet long, and 180 feet wide. More than 7,00,000 hours were dedicated to the construction by thousands of volunteers from the UAE, Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, and other Gulf countries. This Hindu stone mandir is the first to undergo full digital modeling and seismic simulations before being built.
The temple symbolizes unity between faiths, showcasing the strong relationship between the UAE and India to promote tolerance, inclusivity, and solidarity among individuals from diverse religious traditions. Consequently, the sculptures on the mandir depict tales from various civilizations, including the Ramayana, Shiva Purana, Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, and stories of Hindu personalities, as well as narratives from Arabian, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Native American civilizations, among others. In total, carvings from 14 different civilizations can be found. The mandir complex consists of a Hindu mandir, a visitor centre, prayer halls, exhibitions, learning areas, children’s sports area, themed gardens, water features, a food court, and a book and gift shop.
Gods and goddesses
The mandir’s middle shrine houses the marble murtis of Bhagvan Swaminarayan and Gunatitanand Swami, who are collectively worshiped as Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj. Swaminarayan is the founder of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya and is revered as Purushottam (God) and Gunatitanand Swami is the first spiritual successor of Swaminarayan and is revered as Akshar.
The second shrine houses the marble murtis of Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, with his consort, Radha. Radha-Krishna are a central deity pair worshiped in Vaishnavism. The third shrine houses the marble murtis of Rama with his consort Sita, his brother Lakshmana, and Rama’s dedicated devotee Hanuman. Rama is worshiped as an avatar of Vishnu. The marble murtis of Shiva, a principal deity in Hindu traditions, with his consort Parvati, goddess of power and energy, and two sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya, are housed in the fourth shrine.
The fifth shrine houses the black granite murtis of Srinivasa, also known as Venkateshwara, an incarnation of Vishnu, and his consort Padmavati who is an incarnation of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. These murtis were crafted by expert artisans from the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh. The murtis of Jagannath, a form of Krishna, accompanied by his siblings Subhadra and Balabhadra are housed in the sixth shrine. These murtis was made from cast metal under the supervision of the king of Jagannathpuri in Odisha.
The seventh shrine is dedicated to the deity Ayyappan, the son of Mohini and Shiva. His murti is made from panchaloha (traditional five-metal alloy) and was designed by 15 artisans from Kerala. The murti sits on a pedestal and is four feet in height. The murti is also accompanied by a model of the 18 holy steps of the Sabarimala Ayyappa mandir in Kerala.
History
The BAPS Hindu mandir’s history started in 1997 when Pramukh Swami Maharaj visited the Middle East. Pramukh Swami Maharaj visited a desert in Sharjah and had a vision of a mandir in Abu Dhabi that would promote unity among different countries, cultures, and religions.
In August 2015, the UAE government declared the plan to allocate land for constructing a Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi. The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, donated the land for the temple. Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan donated 13.5 acres of land for the temple and another 13.5 acres for parking purposes.
BAPS representatives met Sheikh Mohamed and the Indian Prime Minister in the Presidential Palace on February 10, 2018. India and the UAE signed a memorandum of understanding in front of the royal family and more than 250 local leaders. Prime Minister Modi stated that the temple “will serve as a sacred space that brings together humanity and promotes harmony” . The initial stone consecration (shila pujan) ceremony for the temple occurred on 11th February 2018.
On 20 April 2019, with Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS, in attendance, the groundbreaking ceremony (shilanyas vidhi) took place with guests and officials from India and the UAE. Ambassador Navdeep Suri expressed gratitude to the UAE government, said “This will be the eternal bridge of friendship between our nations, our cultures and civilisations”
Building process
The building of the temple started in December 2019 on a 27-acre plot of land. The site is situated in Abu Mureikhah, close to Al Rahba along the Sheikh Zayed Highway connecting Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Tonnes of pink sandstone from northern Rajasthan were transported to Abu Dhabi for the building project. This sturdy stone from northern India was chosen for the temple’s outer surface because it can endure extreme summer heat up to 50°C (122°F), similar to the high temperatures in the UAE. Italian marble was utilized in constructing the interior of the mandir. In order to reduce the carbon footprint, fly ash was included in the concrete mix used for the foundation. This mandir is the initial Hindu traditional temple to go through full digital modeling and seismic simulation. This marks the debut of a traditional Hindu stone mandir in the Middle East.
Volunteer participation
More than 7,00,000 hours have been contributed by over thousands of volunteers from the United Arab Emirates, Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, and other Gulf countries towards the construction of the mandir. They are involved in a wide range of areas such as logistics, civil engineering work, construction, planning, and mandir maintenance, all of which are instrumental in shaping the project. People from various backgrounds, such as teenagers, businesswomen, designers, and retired expatriates from Africa, the Gulf, the UK, the US, and India, have played a role in building the mandir. These volunteers view their service as a representation of their dedication and faith. Of importance is the involvement of kids in this group project, participating as volunteers and playing a part in making stone art to represent unity.
Architecture
The BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi is the biggest Hindu temple in West Asia and the initial traditional Hindu stone mandir in the Middle East. The temple has the capacity to accommodate a maximum of 10,000 individuals simultaneously. The temple is 108 feet tall, 262 feet long, and 180 feet wide. Additional architectural elements consist of two ghumats, seven shikars representing the seven Emirates in UAE, 12 samrans, and a total of 402 pillars. The interior showcases white marble carvings set against a backdrop of pink sandstone on the exterior. The temple consists of over 35,000 stone pieces crafted by skilled artisans from India. Inside every shikar, you can find carvings depicting tales from the Ramayana, Shiva Purana, Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, as well as carvings illustrating the lives of Jagannath, Swaminarayan, Venkateshwara, and Ayyappa. The ‘Dome of Harmony’ displays the five natural elements – earth, water, fire, air, and space. Carvings of animals such as horses and camels are also present, symbolizing the UAE. All of the carvings of horses and camels are one-of-a-kind.
The temple includes every element and characteristic of a typical Hindu temple within a complete operational, social, cultural, and spiritual compound. The facility will consist of a visitor center, spaces for prayer, displays, educational zones, a play area for kids, themed gardens, water elements, a dining area, and a store selling books and gifts. The temple is equipped with 100 sensors in its base and more than 350 sensors spread across the temple to collect information on earthquakes, temperature fluctuations, and changes in pressure.
The temple’s design includes eco-friendly elements like reusing wooden pallets to create seating for the food court. On the mandir grounds, there is a waterfall that represents the origins of the three sacred rivers in Hinduism – the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati.
Promoting unity and understanding among different religions and cultures
The Hindu temple was built on land given by a Muslim ruler, designed by a Catholic architect, and overseen by a Sikh employed by a Parsi firm. The person who designed the foundation is a follower of Buddhism, while one of the directors of the mandir is a Jain. This demonstrates the importance of promoting interfaith and cultural unity within the mandir project.
In an effort to support cultural diversity, tolerance, and peace, the UAE government held an event in September 2019 to grant legal recognition to the BAPS Hindu Mandir and 17 other places of worship, with BAPS Hindu Mandir receiving the first license.
During the ceremony in April 2019, Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development, expressed that laying the mandir’s foundation stone represents the UAE’s embrace of tolerance and diversity. The late Sheikh Zayed, the Founding Father, consistently held the belief that international peace can only be achieved through the co-existence of people from different religious beliefs and nationalities. The temple features engravings of indigenous animals found in the UAE, such as camels, oryxes, and falcons. There are 14 illustrations of parables from Arabian, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and other ancient civilizations as well. While looking at the carvings, Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, the Minister of Tolerance and Co-existence of UAE, remarked that “The craftsmanship is intricate and amazing, and the place will help spread global harmony.”
During a visit in May 2023, Japanese Ambassador Akio Isomata commented “I see a philosophy of tolerance in the carvings.” In January 2024, the mandir was visited by diplomats from 42 countries. Jonathan Knight, the Deputy Ambassador of the UK, expressed “It’s wonderful to see a place that’s been contributed to by so many different faiths coming together to build something that will last for generations.”
Inauguration
The “Festival of Harmony,” marking the inauguration of the mandir, began on February 10, 2024 and lasted for 12 days. On February 11, 2024, a Vedic ceremony called the “Yagna for Harmony” was held to ask for blessings from the divine. It was the initial worldwide harmony ceremony in the area. On February 14, 2024, the temple was officially dedicated by BAPS spiritual leader Mahant Swami Maharaj in a Vedic ceremony called prana pratishtha. On 14 February 2024, in the afternoon, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi participated in the dedication of the mandir to the public with Mahant Swami Maharaj. The inaugural assembly was addressed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, and the spiritual leader of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Mahant Swami Maharaj. Narendra Modi expressed “This temple will become a symbol of communal harmony and global unity for the entire world.” Sheikh Al Nahyan stated that “The UAE is a tolerant country, where people from different places, religious and ethnic backgrounds live in peace, harmony, and cooperation. You now have a new temple that will serve as a place of worship and a community centre for all.” Mahant Swami Maharaj expressed that , “Throughout the ceremony, I have been praying for the people of this country and the world. May there be peace and prosperity for everyone and may we all progress together to serve the whole of humanity.”
After the inauguration, a variety of events centered around harmony, civilization, peace, gratitude, values, and inspiration took place in the subsequent days. On February 15, 2024, religious leaders including Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist, and others came together for the “Day of Harmony” assembly to celebrate the inauguration of the temple and promote unity among different faiths. The Festival of Harmony concluded on 21 February with an event coordinated by females named “Day of Inspiration.” The program highlighted the role of women in society and humanity. The assembly was attended by over 2,100 women.
The temple was unveiled to the public on Friday, 1 March 2024, and over 66,000 individuals came to visit the temple on Sunday, 3 March 2024. A new bus service was introduced by the UAE on weekends from Abu Dhabi City to the mandir in Abu Mureikha to serve pilgrims and visitors. On 10th April 2024, the BAPS Hindu Mandir introduced a convenient pre-registration booking system to manage the increasing number of visitors to the sacred Mandir.
