PM Modi inaugurates BAPS Mandir: How a temple bloomed in Abu Dhabi's desert (PHOTOS)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Mandir, in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday in the presence of spiritual leaders of the Swaminarayan sect.

The prime minister was dressed in a light pink silk dhoti and kurta paired with a sleeveless jacket and stole, while he participated in rituals of a ceremony to dedicate the temple to the people.

PM Modi also offered prayers at the temple, accompanied by priests.  After the inauguration, PM Modi thanked UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed for "fulfilling the aspirations of crores of Indians".

A Global Aarti was also performed simultaneously at over 1,200 temples of the Swaminarayan sect worldwide built by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) and PM Modi participated in the ‘aarti’.

He also met people from different faiths who contributed to the construction of the Hindu stone temple.

Earlier today, the consecration ceremony of the BAPS Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi was held ahead of its inauguration by PM Modi. The priests conducted rituals before the inauguration.

The temple is built on a 27-acre plot of land, donated by the UAE government, in Abu Mureikhah, near Al Rahba off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway. The stone-laying ceremony took place in 2019.