Ornate Hindu Temple Opens Doors to Islamic United Arab Emirates

DUBAI (AFP) – The United Arab Emirates’ first dedicated Hindu temple opened in Dubai on Tuesday, providing a place of worship and a support network for the large Indian community, including migrant workers.

A mix of Indian and UAE architectural styles, the large white marble building is located in the Jebel Ali harbor area, officially a Muslim country, and also houses a church and a Sikh temple.

Thousands of South Asian workers live in nearby labor camps and special buses are provided to visit the 2,300-square-meter temple and its community centre.

Committee member Raju Shroff, who runs a textile business, said his father’s 50-year-old dream of opening a dedicated temple in Dubai had come true.

“It’s a dream come true for my father, who has been in this country since at least 1960, so it’s a great feeling,” he told AFP.

“I was on this project only five years ago, but he’s been on it for 50 years, so it’s been quite a[long]journey,” Shroff added. rice field.

Featuring a distinctive lotus flower pattern that adorns the central skylight, the temple was built at a cost of around AED 60 million (SGD 23 million) and can accommodate 1,000 people at a time.

In anticipation of high demand, visitors are required to apply for a QR code online and scan it for entry. Indians are her UAE’s largest expat community, comprising about 35% of the 10 million population.

Besides being a temple for all forms of Hinduism, it serves as a support center for Indian expatriates, especially workers, where professionals such as lawyers and doctors provide volunteer services.