Raj Sadosh/Abohar
Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami and Brahmavihari Swami led people in a special mahapuja to bless the first marble pillars of the BAPS Hindu Mandir at Abu Dhabi.
After prayers, Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami, Brahmavihari Swami, Munivatsal Swami and others climbed to the second floor of the mandir, to the gateway of the main shrine. The base of the first marble pillar of the mandir was placed on the right side of the doorway. Cement was poured to fix the first stone of the main shrine’s spire or shikhar.
(MOREPIC1)Ministers from the UAE and Abu Dhabi governments joined Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami, Brahmavihari Swami and over one thousand devotees to celebrate the mandir’s construction progress and conclude the ritual of placing the previously carved main section of the mandir’s first pillar.
(SUBHEAD)Munivatsal Swami discoursed on how we may bring greater harmony to our homes. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade; Sunjay Sudhir, Indian Ambassador to the UAE; Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development (DCD); Tayeb Al Kamali, Ministry of Interior and Mubarak Al Ameri arrived on the mandir site.
The delegation placed bricks on the first floor of the mandir and continued to the second floor mesmerised by the volume and scale of the metal-free stone structure rising before them.
Dr. Mugheer Al Khaili said that swamis and mandirs were like ambassadors of culture and universal values. The delegation was amazed by the inspiring life stories of Bhagwan Swaminarayan delicately carved in the pink sandstone exterior.
The ministers put aside their protocols and welcomed Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami by assisting him to his seat at the center of the dais.
Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi shared the governments’ support of this project and to the environment of tolerance in the UAE. “As long as the UAE shall exist, it shall be a place where each of its residents will be able to practice their faith in peace.”
Sunjay Sudhir said, “Even while meeting Dr. S. Jaishankar on his transit to Riyadh, we spoke about this mandir. How special it is to see such dedication and devotion.
Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami said that this mandir would inspire generations of visitors and, because of its timeless carvings and the fact that it is located in Abu Dhabi, this mandir will forever be one of a kind.
