Enigma SIG
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2009
- Messages
- 8,593
- Reaction score
- -5
- Country
- Location
https://gulfnews.com/uae/video-firs...-laying-ceremony-in-abu-dhabi-1.1555745241346
Abu Dhabi: The historic foundation stone-laying ceremony of the first traditional Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi has been performed this morning in the presence of thousands of Indian community people and officials from India and the UAE.
At 11.45am foundation stones were laid down following puja ceremonies that started from about 9am.
More than 2,500 Indians from the UAE and across the world took part in the ceremony.
In the early morning people queued up to enter the tent where pujas were being performed. The huge airconditioned tent was fully packed.
The ceremony was being administered as per vedic rituals in the holy presence of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Sanstha (BAPS) Swaminarayan Sanstha, and graced by Dr Mugheer Al Khaili, Director of Community Development Department, Thani Al Zoyoudi, Minister of Climate Change, and Ahmad Bilhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Higher Education Affairs and Advanced Sciences.
Indian ambassador to the UAE, Navdeep Suri, and BR Shetty, Chairman of NMC group were also present at the event.
They all laid foundation stones and cement to accomplish the ceremony.
The BAPS Hindu Mandir is located at Abu Mureikha, E11 Expressway, Exit 366 Abu Dhabi. BAPS is responsible for building the temple.
Maharaj presided over the Shilanyas Vidhi (foundation stone-laying rituals) along with other sadhus (priests).
However, the Bhumi Pujan – sanctification of the land — were performed at the site in Abu Mureikhah area on February 11, 2018.
The temple is being built on 13.5 acres (55,000 square metres) of land gifted by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to the Indian community.
In the Year of Tolerance, the UAE government has gifted an equal area of land additionally for building parking facilities in the temple premises.
The Shilanyas [foundation stone laying] ceremony is a sacred Hindu ritual wherein the first foundation stones are sanctified and fixed in the ground as the base of the Mandir.
The Mandir’s foundation will then be made on these stones considered sacred. After these ceremonies, construction will begin in this Year of Tolerance.
Abu Dhabi: The upcoming Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi represents a unique diversity and fraternity, a senior Hindu priest said here on Sunday.
“A Muslim country gave the land for the temple. It is being designed by an Irish Catholic and the consultant is a communist atheist,” said Sadhu Brahma Viharidas, who is in charge of the Middle East at BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha that will build and manage the temple.
He was addressing the opening session of the Global Conference on Human Fraternity at Emirates Palace in the capital.
Viharidas said the UAE is a unique example for tolerance.
“A foreign journalist once asked me whether tolerance in the UAE was only cosmetic?”
He replied that: “Not at all. It is not skin deep, tolerance is the soul of the UAE,” the priest said to the unending applause from the audience.
“Tolerance and human fraternity is not just a beautiful word or meaningful idea or value here. In the UAE, they are verbs and not nouns. Verbs means they are in action. We can write poetry and hold conferences but unless they are in action ... they are meaningless,” the priest said.
He said followers of all religions have to focus on improving the human relations. “If we upgrade the world, but downgrade human relationships, everything is worthless.”
The priest shared his touching experiences of meeting His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who donated the land for the temple.
Many prominent leaders addressed the first day of the conference. Dr Yousuf Bin Ahmad Al Uthaymeen, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation; Dr James Zogby, founder and president of the Arab American Institute; Dr Olav Fyke Tveit, Secretary-General of the World Council of Churches; Ali Al Ameen, member of the Muslim Council of Elders also spoke in the opening session.
Abu Dhabi: The historic foundation stone-laying ceremony of the first traditional Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi has been performed this morning in the presence of thousands of Indian community people and officials from India and the UAE.
At 11.45am foundation stones were laid down following puja ceremonies that started from about 9am.
More than 2,500 Indians from the UAE and across the world took part in the ceremony.
In the early morning people queued up to enter the tent where pujas were being performed. The huge airconditioned tent was fully packed.
The ceremony was being administered as per vedic rituals in the holy presence of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Sanstha (BAPS) Swaminarayan Sanstha, and graced by Dr Mugheer Al Khaili, Director of Community Development Department, Thani Al Zoyoudi, Minister of Climate Change, and Ahmad Bilhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Higher Education Affairs and Advanced Sciences.
Indian ambassador to the UAE, Navdeep Suri, and BR Shetty, Chairman of NMC group were also present at the event.
They all laid foundation stones and cement to accomplish the ceremony.
The BAPS Hindu Mandir is located at Abu Mureikha, E11 Expressway, Exit 366 Abu Dhabi. BAPS is responsible for building the temple.
Maharaj presided over the Shilanyas Vidhi (foundation stone-laying rituals) along with other sadhus (priests).
However, the Bhumi Pujan – sanctification of the land — were performed at the site in Abu Mureikhah area on February 11, 2018.
The temple is being built on 13.5 acres (55,000 square metres) of land gifted by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to the Indian community.
In the Year of Tolerance, the UAE government has gifted an equal area of land additionally for building parking facilities in the temple premises.
The Shilanyas [foundation stone laying] ceremony is a sacred Hindu ritual wherein the first foundation stones are sanctified and fixed in the ground as the base of the Mandir.
The Mandir’s foundation will then be made on these stones considered sacred. After these ceremonies, construction will begin in this Year of Tolerance.
Abu Dhabi: The upcoming Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi represents a unique diversity and fraternity, a senior Hindu priest said here on Sunday.
“A Muslim country gave the land for the temple. It is being designed by an Irish Catholic and the consultant is a communist atheist,” said Sadhu Brahma Viharidas, who is in charge of the Middle East at BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha that will build and manage the temple.
He was addressing the opening session of the Global Conference on Human Fraternity at Emirates Palace in the capital.
Viharidas said the UAE is a unique example for tolerance.
“A foreign journalist once asked me whether tolerance in the UAE was only cosmetic?”
He replied that: “Not at all. It is not skin deep, tolerance is the soul of the UAE,” the priest said to the unending applause from the audience.
“Tolerance and human fraternity is not just a beautiful word or meaningful idea or value here. In the UAE, they are verbs and not nouns. Verbs means they are in action. We can write poetry and hold conferences but unless they are in action ... they are meaningless,” the priest said.
He said followers of all religions have to focus on improving the human relations. “If we upgrade the world, but downgrade human relationships, everything is worthless.”
The priest shared his touching experiences of meeting His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who donated the land for the temple.
Many prominent leaders addressed the first day of the conference. Dr Yousuf Bin Ahmad Al Uthaymeen, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation; Dr James Zogby, founder and president of the Arab American Institute; Dr Olav Fyke Tveit, Secretary-General of the World Council of Churches; Ali Al Ameen, member of the Muslim Council of Elders also spoke in the opening session.
