Abu Dhabi

External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar who is on a three-day visit to United Arab Emirates (UAE) visited the under-construction Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi said to be the first traditional temple in the Arabian Peninsula and expressed his happiness over its "rapid progress."

On Wednesday, Jaishankar tweeted about this visit to the under-construction site of Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in the UAE.

On Ganesh Chaturthi, blessed to visit the @BAPS Hindu temple under construction in Abu Dhabi.

Glad to see the rapid progress and deeply appreciate the devotion of all involved. Met the BAPS team, community supporters and devotees and workers at the site. pic.twitter.com/7ZezrfvkuR

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 31, 2022

Terming it as a symbol of peace, tolerance and harmony, the EAM hailed the efforts of all Indians in building the iconic Temple.

The Shri Swaminarayan Mandir of Abu Dhabi in UAE is being built by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.

Several thousand devotees from all over the world, well-wishers and guests participated in the Shila Pujan ceremony at Abu Mureikheh in 2018, which marked the first step in the construction of the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.

Since then, the site of construction has received many visitors from all walks of faith, according to the temple authorities.

In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the presence of over 1,700 dignitaries from all walks of life, unveiled a model of the traditional stone temple.

"The first traditional temple in Abu Dhabi will act as a catalyst for the flourishment of humanitarian values and harmony between the two countries. The temple will become a medium for India's identity.", PM Modi had then said.

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The UAE government in 2015 had decided to allot a plot of land near Abu Dhabi for the construction of the temple during PM Modi's first visit to the West Asian country.