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Hindu temple affirms UAE's tolerant ethos

The day saw hundreds of volunteers fly to the UAE for the first time from the US, Canada, the UK and India.

The first traditional Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi will be a "heaven in the desert" and "an oasis of peace, harmony and inclusiveness", priests and officials have said during the temple's foundation stone-laying ceremony on Saturday. Ministers and officials from the UAE were part of the ceremony.

The day saw hundreds of volunteers fly to the UAE for the first time from the US, Canada, the UK and India. They helped the devotees with seating arrangements and other logistics.

The 'Shilanyas Vidhi' ceremony was presided over by Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha - the religious and social organisation building the temple.

The ceremony, which started at 9am, saw priests and community leaders sit inside a plot of dug-up land. Sanskrit verses filled the air as Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami led the rituals while blessing the first stones which formed the base of the temple. Devotees followed the priest's prayer instructions from their respective seated areas, which had a tray placed in front of them containing a stone or a brick, rice, flowers, nuts and water.

Mahant Maharaj joined the ceremony by 10.30am. Between 10.50am and 10.55am, the foundation stone was laid by priests and BAPS Hindu Mandir committee head and community leader B.R. Shetty. About 50 priests had come from India to be part of the ceremonies.

Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, chairman of the Department of Community Development, said the Indian community has made a "great contribution" to the UAE's growth story and the temple was a kind gesture by the country's leadership. "We share great relations between our two countries. The Indian community is very essential in the economy of the country."

Dr Ahmad bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Higher Education, and Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, were also present at the ceremony.

Symbol of UAE's tolerance

Maharaj praised the cooperation extended by the UAE leadership and noted that "peace comes only to those who love peace".

"It is difficult to imagine or believe but this truly is a heaven in desert. You cannot buy peace, you will only have peace, if you love it," Maharaj said.

On behalf of the Indian community, he also unveiled a Gift of Gratitude, an intricate piece of artwork comprising a base made of pink sandstone - the stone that will be used for building the temple - and metal fins of various sizes forming an image of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The artwork is a gift to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Chief spokesperson for BAPS, Sadhu Brahmaviharidas, said the temple is a symbol of a "unified, all-inclusive world" and the UAE's diversity, as it involves a "Catholic Christian designer and a communist consultant from China in an Islamic country".

"Global inclusiveness, cultural and spiritual harmony is the only way ahead for humanity. Hinduism believes in universal values that we are all one beautiful single family. And those values will be communicated through this temple," he said.

Brahmaviharidas noted that the temple would be "more special than anything we have built so far". "We are trying to combine traditional designs of north, south, east and west India."