The new Hindu temple in Dubai will feature 16 deities, a knowledge room, a community center, and open to people of all faiths.
According to Raju Shroff, a trustee of the Sindhu Guru Darbar temple, the temple will officially open on October 5, the day of Dussehra, a major Hindu festival.
A contemporary Hindu temple can be found in the Emirate's Tolerance Corridor in Jebel Ali. The locality has a Sikh Gurudwara, a Hindu temple, and several Christian churches.
Shroff said the temple will open in two phases. In phase one, only the place of worship will be open to the public."
According to temple committee member Ashok Kumar W. Odhrani, the public will have access to the knowledge room and community room during phase two, which begins on January 14. Furthermore, temple visitors can arrange weddings, havanas, and private events."
As many as 1,000 to 1,200 worshippers could be accommodated in the temple, Odhrani said. However, during important Hindu festivals, the numbers are likely to be much higher. He predicted that Abu Dhabi residents would visit us more during the weekends as well.
A QR-code-based appointment system has been installed by temple authorities to ensure visitor safety during Covid-19.
Visit https://hindutempledubai.com/ to find the QR code. The temple is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. “Visitors may enter during their assigned time slots.” In order to prevent mass spread of Covid-19, this is part of the preparedness protocol, explained Shroff.
Following the official opening, the temple will host celebrations for festivals such as Diwali and Navratri. A well-equipped kitchen and dry and cold storage facilities are also available at the temple. A number of LCD screens will be installed in the community hall and the knowledge room. Among other things, the spaces can be used for interfaith dialogues and educational activities for children.
There are nine soaring spires, ornate pillars, and handcrafted sculptures in white marble adorning the temple's interior and exterior. It is decorated with bells, elephants, and flower motifs on its massive walnut-wood doors and tall concrete pillars.
16 deities from across India will be held on delicately patterned podiums inside the expansive octagonal-shaped prayer hall. Mohan N, the Hindu Temple's general manager, said that the South Indian deities were carved in black stone.
Shiva will be the main deity on the central podium, along with 15 others. Within the prayer hall will also be Ganesha, Krishna, Mahalakshmi, and South Indian deities Guruvayoorappan and Ayyappan.
"We wanted the temple to represent different communities, so we chose gods from the South and goddesses from the East." "All religions are welcome here," he added. Sikhs' holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, will also be housed in the temple.
The 465-square-meter prayer room will open up to a terrace for pujas, where devotees can pray around a havan (fire). Large bells suspended from the dome will ring into the expansive hall.
Tulsi (holy basil) plant podiums, mundan (tonsuring), and other religious practices have also been designated in this area. The Pranaprathishtapana ceremony will be conducted by 10-12 priests once the deities have been installed, and vibrations of energy will be given to the temple," said Mohan. A minimum of eight priests will work at the temple full-time.
As one of Dubai's most spiritual sites, the Corridor of Tolerance will become one of the most important. The country is an example of tolerance and coexistence for the rest of the world, open to interfaith dialogue and the exchange of religious and cultural ideas," he said.