Mohamed bin Zayed agreed to PM Modi's request for Hindu temple in 5 minutes, reveals top UAE diplomat
BAPS Hindu Temple, Abu Dhabi
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, during a lecture in New Delhi on Friday (Feb 23) made therevelation.
“When Prime Minister Narendra Modi came [to the UAE], one of the early requests he made was to get land for the Indian community to build this magnificent Hindu temple. 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”.
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Notably, MBZ was serving as the UAE's de facto leader in 2015 due to the ill health of his brother Sheikh Khalifa, the country's then-president. In 2022, MBZ became the UAE president and the relations with New Delhi have remained on the upswing under his watch.
Watch |UAE BAPS Hindu Temple: From cost to key features, all about Abu Dhabi's first Hindu Mandir
PM Modi inaugurates BAPS Temple
It was earlier this month that PM Modi inaugurated the beautiful temple in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of MBZ during his two-day trip to the Gulf country.
The temple has been built by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a denomination of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, a Vaishnav sect of Hinduism.
The temple has been promoted as the epitome of communal harmony, a goal envisioned by both India and the UAE.
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 confluence from 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)