BAPS Mandir in Abu Dhabi: The idols inside the temple revealed

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu stone temple.

This came hours after the consecration of the idols began at the temple this morning.

#WATCH | PM Modi performs rituals at BAPS Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, UAE pic.twitter.com/MTdet4noci

— ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2024

The Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu Mandir has been built on a 27-acre site in Abu Mreikhah, near Al Rahba off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway.

It costs around Rs 700 crore.

According to the temple authorities, the grand temple has been built as per an ancient style of construction and creation mentioned in the Shilpa and Sthapathya Shastras, Hindu scriptures which describe the art for mandir design and construction.

“The architectural methods have been clubbed with scientific techniques here. Over 300 high-tech sensors have been installed at every level of the temple to measure temperature, pressure and movement (seismic activity). The sensors will provide live data for research. If there is any earthquake in the region, the temple will detect it, and we will be able to study,” Swami Brahmaviharidas, head of international relations for BAPS, told PTI.

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.

But what do we know about the idols?

Let’s take a closer look:

The idols

As per News18, the entrance to the temple has eight idols – representing eight values central to the Sanatan Dharma.

Lord Ayappa, Lord Tirupati Balaji, Lord Jagannath, Lord Krishna and his wife Radha, Lord Hanuman, Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati and children Ganesh and Karthik, and Lord Ram and his wife Sita are among the deities.

Intricate carvings illustrate the lives and teachings of these deities.

As per Indian Express, the Ayappa idol was made by Ananthan Achari and his son Anu Ananthan at Parumala in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district.

“We are very proud about being associated with the temple. We have made idols and dhwaja stambha (flag pole) for hundreds of temples. But the opportunity to make the idol for BAPS temple is really a blessing of Ayappa,” Anu was quoted as saying.

Anu said the idol is the largest panchaloha, an alloy comprising gold, silver, copper, zinc, and iron, in the world.

“The height of the idol including the pedestal is four feet. We have not come across a panchaloha idol of that size,” Anu added

In all, 17 workers laboured to make the Ayappa idol.

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“The final touches for the idol were given by my father Ananthan Achari. We have the invitation to attend the inaugural function today. We are planning to visit the temple later. BAPS provided the metals for making the idol. Its senior representatives had visited us to oversee the manufacturing,” Anu said.

The seven spires

According to temple authorities, seven shikhars (spires) have been built at the temple representing the seven Emirates that come together to form the UAE.

The seven shikhars represent the seven emirates of UAE, Swami Brahmaviharidas said.

The seven spires also pay homage to seven important deities, underscoring the interconnectedness of cultures and religions. Normally, our temples are either one spire, three, or five, but come here, the seven spires express our gratitude to the unity of the seven emirates.

But at the same time, the seven spires enshrine seven important deities.

The spirals aim to promote unity and harmony in the multicultural landscape. Standing at a towering 108 feet, the temple will pave the way for the cultural integration of diverse communities in the region, he added.

To give equal representation to the host country, along with animals that occupy an important place in Indian mythology like elephants, camels and lions, the UAE’s national bird, the falcon, has also been included in the design.

[caption id=“attachment_13728462” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The seven shikhars represent the seven emirates of UAE, Swami Brahmaviharidas said. ANI[/caption]

The camel; a symbol of persistence, commitment and endurance, has been etched into the carvings of the temple while drawing inspiration from the landscapes of the UAE, said Som Singh, a stone artisan at the temple.

Apart from 15 tales from India, including the Ramayana and Mahabharata, stories from Mayan, Aztec, Egyptian, Arabic, European, Chinese and African civilisations have also been depicted in the temple.

On the two sides of the temple, holy water flows from Ganga and Yamuna, which was brought from India in huge containers.

The amphitheatre

According to temple authorities, an amphitheatre in the shape of a ghat has been built on the side where the water from Ganga flows.

“The idea was to make it resemble the ghat of Varanasi where the visitors can sit, meditate and get transported mentally to ghats back in India. When visitors walk in they will see two streams of water that symbolically represent the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in India. A beam of light to represent the river Saraswati will be directed from the temple structure to form ‘Triveni’ Sangam,” said Vishal Patel, a lead volunteer at the iconic temple.

While the outer walls of the temple are made using sandstone from India, the interior, made of white Italian marble, is adorned with intricately designed and carved columns and walls.

Other Noteworthy architectural elements include two ghumats (domes), 12 samrans (dome-like structures) and 402 pillars. The two ghumats are the Dome of Peace and Dome of Harmony.

The Dome of Harmony showcases five natural elements water, fire, air, earth and space. There are carvings of animals such as horses and camels that represent the UAE.

A Wall of Harmony, one of the largest 3D-printed walls in the UAE, features a video showcasing key milestones of the temple’s construction, Singh said.

The architecture, a fine specimen of Hindu stone architecture, is devoid of steel for the erection of the structure.

[caption id=“attachment_13728472” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The BAPS temple, spread over a large area with stone architecture, is the largest of all in the Gulf region. ANI[/caption]

“It is an ingenious use of science and technology, where carved stones are put together like a jig-saw, and then the gravity pulls them into place,” said Vishal Patel, lead volunteer at the temple.

Around 96 bells and gaumukhs are installed around the path leading to the temple.

These 96 bells are a tribute to Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s 96 years of life, he added.

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, just like the recently inaugurated Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

According to Umesh Raja, a volunteer at the temple, 20,000 tonnes of sandstone pieces were carved in Rajasthan and then shipped to Abu Dhabi in 700 containers.

“Not just the stone, many labourers who helped construct the temple over five years belong to Gujarat and Rajasthan. Even the marble mined from Italy was first shipped to India for carving and then back to the UAE to be used in the interiors,” he said.

The work for the structure has been going on since 2019.

The land for the temple was donated by the UAE government.

The UAE has three other Hindu temples that are located in Dubai.

The BAPS temple, spread over a large area with stone architecture, is the largest of all in the Gulf region.

Prime Minister Modi is in the UAE on a two-day visit, his seventh visit to the Emirates since 2015 and his third in the last eight months.

With inputs from agencies