A new temple

Abu Dhabi is all set to get its first Hindu temple with the foundation stone-laying going to be held on April 20, in the midst of the Lok Sabha polls here in India. The plan to build the temple in the UAE capital was approved by the Abu Dhabi government during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to the country in 2015. BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, a worldwide Hindu religious and civic organisation, is building the temple. Dubbed an icon of tolerance and religious harmony in the UAE, the temple is being built on a 13.5-acre land gifted by Abu Dhabi's crown prince Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Shiva and Krishna Mandir in Dubai is currently the only Hindu temple in the UAE.