Indian
priests will chant ancient Vedic verses and offer prayers during a two-hour
foundation stone ceremony for the first traditional Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.
This
will be part of the shilanyas or the foundation rites on April 20 to sanctify
the pink sandstone that will be part of the base of the temple to be built in
Abu Mureikha, near Al Rahba.
The
sacred rituals will be conducted inside a large tent that will accommodate
about 2,000 people from the UAE and overseas.
The
sandstone to be used in the prayer ceremony will be transported to the UAE from
India’s Rajasthan state next week.
“The
foundation stones will reach UAE within the second week of April,” said a
representative of Mandir Limited, which has been legally registered to build
and administer the temple.
“The
shilas (stones) for the foundation are being transported for the upcoming
ceremony. The remaining stone will be shipped once they are sculpted in India.
Construction will begin post this event, however, the date for construction has
not been set as site facilities need to be established first.”
Sheikh
Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
and Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance, will be present at the
function along with Navdeep Suri, India's ambassador to the UAE.
The
prayers will start early on April 20 and the area will be opened up at 2pm to
the public who can make offerings of flowers at the site.
Prayer
gatherings will be held in Jumeirah every morning for a week after the
foundation stone ceremony and presided over by Mahant Swami Maharaj, the
spiritual leader of BAPS.
In
India, artisans have begun carving models of designs that will be replicated on
the shrine’s pillars and columns.
“Procurement
of pink stone has begun and sample carving work is currently underway. We
anticipate the carving work to begin not too far after the shilanyas ceremony,”
the temple representative said.
Ornate
hand carvings will bring to life messages of peace and tolerance from Indian
scriptures to promote inter-faith harmony.
Craftsmen
in India will etch the marble and stone panels with motifs of peacocks, trees,
flowers, elephants for the structure that will later be assembled in Abu Dhabi.
Intricate
architecture draws crowds to the temples run by the Baps Swaminarayan Sanstha,
the religious and social organisation that has built shrines in India, the US,
UK, Canada, Australia and Africa.
An
elaborately etched peacock gate welcomes visitors to the expansive Akshardham
temple in New Delhi. Figurines of musicians with classical instruments cluster
around Hindu deities and saints nestled in the interior of some 1,200 temples
run by the organisation worldwide.
Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed the temple structure last year during an
address at the Dubai Opera. Mr Modi had announced the temple plan during his
first visit as prime minister to the UAE in 2015.
The
land for the temple was granted by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince
of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
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