Complete Guide to Visiting BAPS Hindu Mandir, Abu Dhabi | A Virtual Tour of Shri Swaminarayan Temple, Abu Dhabi, UAE
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Since photography is not allowed sanctum sanctorum of the temple, all images of the interiors of the temple featured in this article are taken from baps.org for visualization purposes only. We hold no copyright on those images.
Prologue
In the Summer of 2024, we traveled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a family vacation. During our stay in Dubai, we also visited the then-newly opened BAPS Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE, which was not initially in our plan. While I was planning for our Dubai vacation, I already knew that the BAPS Hindu Temple was inaugurated by the Indian PM Narendra Modi in Abu Dhabi on 14th Feb 2024, but when I had checked the satellite images in Google Maps I had seen that it was still under construction. So I had not included it in the planning. However, when we went for the famous Dubai Desert Safari, our Pakistani tour guide Iqbal informed us that the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi was completed and insisted we visit it. Then we decided to include it in the planning. So based on our experience, today I’m going to share with you everything you need to know for visiting BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi. Let the journey begin!
A detailed account of our Dubai trip is coming soon on my blog. So watch this space!
And if you are interested to know more about the story behind the temple, I recommend you to read the book below which is an intriguing account of the journey towards founding the temple and the hurdles on the way.
Welcome to BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi!
Today I’m going to tell you a remarkable tale! A tale of human craftsmanship, envisioned by a Hindu hermit, designed by a Catholic lead architect and a Buddhist foundational designer, managed by a Sikh, and constructed by a team of Jains and Parsis (Zoroastrians) on a land gifted by a Muslim leader. Welcome to BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi!
The brand new BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi is an awe-inspiring oasis in the middle of the Arabian sands that serves as a fresh bridge to the Almighty, a shining beacon of artistry, and a testament to cross-cultural harmony. The temple was constructed by the well-known Hindu religious organization BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha to support the expanding Hindu community in the United Arab Emirates.
About BAPS
BAPS stands for Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, a global socio-spiritual Hindu volunteer-run organization that promotes social service, spirituality, and cultural values. Late in the 18th century, Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781–1830) revealed it, and his spiritual successor Shastriji Maharaj (1865 – 1951) founded it in 1907 based on the Akshar-Purushottam Upasana ideology.
The Swaminarayan Sampradaya considers Swaminarayan to be God or Purushottam. The Swaminarayan's recorded remarks and several old manuscripts provide BAPS adherents with attestation of their understanding of the Upasana. They hold that Swaminarayan is ever-present on earth and outline the procedures and routes that must be taken in order to break free from the never-ending cycle of rebirth. In addition to their many spiritual, cultural, and humanitarian endeavors delivered through a global network of 1100 sadhus and 55000 scattered across 5025 centers, the Sanstha has constructed more than 1200 Hindu temples across the globe. It has received many national and international awards and is affiliated with the United Nations.
Today, more than a million Swaminarayan devotees now start their days with puja and meditation, live morally pure lives, and regularly volunteer their time to help others. Their five lifetime vows are: no meat, no alcohol, no addictions, no adultery, and no impurity of body or mind. BAPS's humanitarian activities are based on a foundation of pure morals and spirituality.
Some Remarkable Facts about the BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi
The BAPS Hindu Mandir is the only Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi. It is also the first authentic Hindu stone temple in the Middle East. It is also the first to be constructed of interlocking stone blocks, a traditional method employed in the construction of several of India's most revered temples.
The main temple is 54.8 meters (180 feet) in width, 79.8 meters (262 feet) in length, and 32.9 meters (108 feet) in height. It can hold eight thousand to ten thousand people. A visitor's center, exhibits, prayer halls, themed gardens, a kids' park, an amphitheater, a library, a sports center, a food court, and a gift shop are among the additional structures on the property.
The architectural features include 7 shikars (spires) that represent the seven Emirates in the United Arab Emirates, 12 samrans (pyramidal domes), 2 ghumats (domes), and 402 pillars.
The temple's construction cost amounted to 84.2 million USD, or 700 crore INR, excluding the value of the 27-acre plot of land it is situated on, which was gifted via royal decree by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the third president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi.
A substantial layer of sandstone that is only a meter below the surface was located during the geotechnical assessment that was carried out at the site of the Mandir. This layer serves as a sturdy foundation for the temple. Over 25000 pieces (weighing 2000 tonnes) of pink sandstone, a tough stone chosen for the exterior of the mandir due to its extreme heat tolerance levels (up to 50 °C which is common in the UAE), was delivered from the northern Indian state of Rajasthan to Abu Dhabi in more than 700 containers. The interior of the temple was built using 5 tons of Aqua Bianca, a type of milky-white Italian marble. Keeping with this heritage of nature-bound construction, no concrete, iron, or reinforced steel was used.
690,000 person-hours were donated to the project by 60,000 people worldwide. Over 2,000 artisans in Rajasthan and Gujarat meticulously cut blocks of Italian marble and red sandstone, which were then erected on-site in the United Arab Emirates.
The ancient Hindu "Shilpa shastras," or Sanskrit architectural and sculpting manuals, were followed in the construction of the hand-carved temple. With 9000 figurines carved on 402 white marble pillars, the temple highlights the universality of faith by presenting 250 stories from various ancient civilizations, including Indian, Arabian, Mesopotamian, African, Chinese, Mayan, and Aztec. No two pillars depict the same design. Stories from the Ramayana, Shiva Purana, Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, and the lives of Jagannath, Swaminarayan, Venkateshwara, and Ayyappa are carved into each of the spires. The 'Dome of Harmony' and the 'Dome of Peace' are the two central domes of the sanctum sanctorum. The five elements that is shared by all humanity - earth, water, fire, air, and space are carved in the Dome of Harmony. The mandir also features carvings of creatures native to the UAE, like camels, oryxes, and falcons.
The designs would be drawn out on paper, traced onto stone, and then carefully hammered and chiseled by the artisans. To put the labor-intensive technique into context, consider that a single pillar could take four artisans a year to finish.
The temple is open to people of all faiths and religious views.
A Brief History of BAPS Hindu Temple Abu Dhabi as a Timeline
April 5, 1997: Pramukh Swami Maharaj (1921–2016) wished for a temple to be built in the middle of Abu Dhabi’s desert, the capital of the UAE. He prayed “May there be a Mandir (temple) in Abu Dhabi, which will bring countries, cultures, communities, and religions closer together!”
August 16, 2015: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his first visit to UAE (which was the first time an Indian Prime Minister visited the Emirates in 34 years) announced that His Highness Sheikh Mohamed had decided to donate 2.5 acres of land in Al Wathbah on the road from Abu Dhabi to Alain for the construction of a Hindu temple. For this kind gesture, PM Modi thanked Sheikh Mohamed.
April 15, 2017: The UAE government increased the land grant to 5 acres without even asking. Then suddenly the planning team got instructions to put everything on hold. After a few months, the planning team was suddenly informed that 13.5 acres of land had been granted on the arterial road from Abu Dhabi to Dubai. Later the land was doubled again.
February 10, 2018: BAPS delegates had a meeting at the Presidential Palace with Sheikh Mohamed and the visiting Indian PM Modi. Sheikh Mohamed was given a choice between two designs and went with a large, conventional stone temple rather than a normal building of worship. He exclaimed “The United Arab Emirates is known internationally as a cradle of landmarks from the towering Burj Khalifa to the world's largest cantilever building, from cultural landmarks like the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque to the majestic Presidential Palace. So a temple being built on this land should look like a temple!”
February 11, 2018: Indian PM Modi gave a speech to the Indian community at Dubai Opera and formally launched the BAPS Hindu Mandir project. Before any construction could start, a Hindu traditional ceremony known as "Bhoomi Poojan" was conducted at the Abu Mureikhah temple site to seek blessings of Mother Earth.
April 20, 2019: His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj (BAPS's current spiritual head and creator of the mandir) performed the Vedic ceremony of laying the foundation stone, known as the "Shilanyas Vidhi," in front of thousands of devotees and prominent Emirati ministers and government officials.
December 14, 2019: With the blessings of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the long-awaited building of the BAPS Hindu Mandir got underway.
November 9, 2021: To sanctify the bricks being used for the construction, the temple celebrated the "Pratham Shila Sthaapan Saptah," a week-long event. Over a thousand volunteers, supporters, and devotees took part in the unique ritual.
May 27, 2022: The first carved sandstone was placed on the temple's first floor during a ceremony known as the "Mahapeeth Pujan Vidhi." After the 14-layer ground floor construction was finished, it signaled the beginning of the next phase of building.
September 8, 2022: 500 devotees, well-wishers, and construction industry professionals attended a special ceremony led by Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami and Pujya Brahmaviharidas Swami to bless the temple's first marble pillars.
October 20, 2023: Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami and Pujya Brahmaviharidas Swami went up in a crane-lifted box to perform the ceremony to bless the seven spires, each of which stands for an Emirate in the United Arab Emirates.
November 29, 2023: The Vedic ceremonies for the "Amrut Kalashes," flags, and flagstaffs for the spires were performed by His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj on November 11. Then the sacred "kalashes" were placed on top of the spires on November 29.
February 14, 2024: The much-anticipated and momentous day of the temple's grand opening, featured a spectacular "Festival of Harmony" and other festivities that brought communities together and preached the message of love, peace, and harmony. During the inauguration, PM Modi took part in a 'global aarti' conducted simultaneously across more than 1200 temples established by BAPS across the globe. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE minister of tolerance and coexistence, joined Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, for the mandir’s inauguration. He exclaimed, “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime breakthrough and glimpse of unity that brings hope for humanity!”
A Virtual Tour of the Temple
The temple complex can be divided into 3 logical units -
1. The Temple Compound
As you enter the temple compound, two streams of water representing the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, two of the three most sacred bodies of water in Hinduism, will greet you. At the base of the temple, the goddess of music and knowledge, Saraswati, is represented by the third river, which appears as a beam of light. The rivers are also portrayed in The Divine Eye, a sculpture by the forward-thinking Indian studio Apical Reform that resembles a whirlpool. Its design, which represents the limitless potential of humanity and frames the temple inside a void, was inspired by the ancient idea of the third eye as a spiritual portal.
The Lower Floor - Abhishek Mandap
The lower floor of the main temple (after climbing the first set of stairs) is called the ‘Abhishek Mandap.’ It has beautiful carvings on the pink sandstone exteriors.
Exterior carving depicting Pramukh Swami Maharaj praying for a mandir in Abu Dhabi in 1997 (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
Exterior carving depicting Swaminarayan appointing Gunatitanand Swami as his first spiritual heir (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
Exterior carving depicting Lord Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan as narrated in Shrimad Bhagavat Purana (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
Exterior carvings depicting the Jagannath Rath Yatra celebration in the Indian state of Odisha (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
The spire's exteriors are adorned with twelve Jyotirlingas, which are sculptures of Shankar (Lord Shiva), Parvati, Kartikeya, and Ganesh (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
Once you enter ‘Abhishek Mandap’ you can find a gilded brass murti of Bhagwan Shri Swaminarayan enshrined to which devotees can offer Abhishek (an ancient Hindu practice of pouring water over the sacred effigy of God to honor him and to attain his blessings). Apart from Shri Swaminarayan, the Abhishek Mandap also features several other gurus of the BAPS order as shown below.
Bhagwan Shri Swaminarayan (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
Shri Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj with His Holiness Shastriji Maharaj, His Holiness Yogiji Maharaj, and His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
His Holiness Bhagatji Maharaj (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
His Holiness Shastriji Maharaj (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
The Upper Floor - Garbhagriha (Sanctum Sanctorum)
The upper floor is the sanctum sanctorum. Inside the sanctum sanctorum, seven shrines pay homage to the following seven sets of deities.
Parabrahma Purushottam Bhagwan Shri Swaminarayan and Aksharbrahma Shri Gunatitanand Swami (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
Bhagwan Shri Shankar (Lord Shiva) and Shri Parvatiji with Shri Kartikeyaji and Shri Ganeshji (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
Bhagwan Shri Krishna and Shri Radhaji (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
Bhagwan Shri Jagannath, Shri Balbhadraji and Shri Subhadraji with Shri Sudarshan Chakra (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
Bhagwan Shri Shrinivas Govindaji (Tirupati Balaji) and Shri Padmavatiji (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
Swami Shri Ayyappaji (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
Bhagwan Shri Rama and Shri Sitaji with Shri Lakshmanji and Shri Hanumanji (Image Courtesy: baps.org)
How to Visit BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi
Address: BAPS Hindu Mandir, P6 Al Taf Road (E16), Abu Dhabi, UAE, Exit 366, Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Road (E11)
Car: On-site parking (GPS Coordinates: 24.61788, 54.72890)
Public Transport: The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha's Pujya Brahmaviharidas Swami conveyed appreciation to the local government for launching the new bus service. In order to better serve the community's transportation needs, Bus #203 (BAPS Temple) will replace Bus #201 (Al Bahyah Souq) on weekends which will have the same stops as Bus #201 with an additional stop at the BAPS Hindu Mandir.
Opening Hours: 09:00 to 20:00 GST.
Reservations: There is no entry fee, but in order to enter the temple, guests must register on the official website (given below) or via the Festival of Harmony app.
Photography Rules: Photography by camera is not allowed, only mobile is allowed, and only outside on the temple premises and not inside the sanctum sanctorum. Only with previous permission is it permitted to use cameras for private, business, or journalistic purposes. To obtain this, send an email to press@mandir.ae.
Dress Code: The dress code recommends covering the neck to elbow and ankles as shown below.
Image Courtesy: mandir.ae
Website: For latest information on the opening hours and reservations, please visit their official website mandir.ae/visit
Epilogue
So that was everything you need to know for visiting BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi. Please let us know in the comments below if you enjoyed reading this article.
A detailed account of our Dubai trip is coming soon on my blog. So watch this space!
And if you are interested to know more about the story behind the temple, I recommend you to read the book below which is an intriguing account of the journey towards founding the temple and the hurdles on the way. Until then, merry traveling and happy shooting!
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