A top UAE diplomat has revealed that it took President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) all of “five minutes” to agree to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request for a Hindu temple in the Gulf nation during a trip in 2015.
Anwar Mohammed Gargash, a diplomatic advisor to the UAE President, made the revelation during a lecture in New Delhi on Friday (Feb 23).
Obtaining land for the Indian community to build this magnificent Hindu temple was one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initial requests upon his arrival in the UAE. We saw that as an early test of the relationship,” said Gargash, addressing the audience.
“It took Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan five minutes to say ‘of course, let’s find the right place’,” added Gargash, who also served as the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs from 2008 to 2021.
According to Gargash, the allotment of the land and the subsequent construction of the temple was an example of building on a relationship that was previously like an “untended olive garden”.
In 2015, MBZ was serving as the UAE’s de facto leader because of his brother Sheikh Khalifa’s illness, which led to him becoming the country’s de facto leader. In 2022, MBZ became the UAE president, and relations with New Delhi have remained on the upswing under his watch.
PM Modi inaugurates BAPS Temple
PM Modi inaugurated the beautiful temple in Abu Dhabi earlier this month while on a two-day trip to the Gulf country with MBZ.
The temple was built by Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a denomination of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, a Vaishnav sect of Hinduism.
Both India and the UAE have envisioned the temple as the epitome of communal harmony, which has been promoted as the epitome.
The temple is constructed on 27 acres of land, with 13.5 acres dedicated to the temple complex area and the other 13.5 acres allotted for parking which can accommodate 14,000 cars and 50 buses.
As per one of the BAPS spokespersons, the construction of the temple saw a convergence of all the major religions of the world. While the temple land was allotted by a “Muslim king”, the lead architect was a Catholic Christian, the project manager a Sikh, the foundational designer a Buddhist, the construction company a Parsi group, and the director, a Jain.
(With inputs from agencies)
