The landmark Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi has announced timings and guidelines for Diwali, as it prepares to welcome tens of thousands of daily visitors during the festivities.
The Baps Hindu Mandir is usually closed for public visits on Mondays but will remain open on October 20 for Diwali prayers.
The Baps organisers have said the temple will be open for Diwali puja (prayers) from 7.30am to 8.30pm on October 20, and worshippers and visitors can visit until 9pm.
“Celebrate Diwali at the mandir – a time to seek blessings, renew love and faith and begin the new year with grace,” the Baps Swaminarayan Sanstha, the organisation that built and manages the temple, said in a message. “Join us with your family for the sacred puja and prayers for a prosperous year ahead.”
Diwali, the Hindu festival of light, signifies the start of the new year when homes and shops are lit up with lights and lanterns.
Mandatory online registration
The place of worship and popular visitor attraction, open to people of all faiths and nationalities, has welcomed more than two million people since it formally opened on February 14 last year.
Organisers and volunteers typically manage crowds of more than 30,000 visitors daily on public holidays and between 15,000 to 18,000 people a day over the weekend.
Hundreds of thousands of people lined up to pray to the intricately sculpted Hindu deities at the site in the Abu Mureikha area during Diwali celebrations last year.
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A 12-minute film titled The Fairy Tale tells the story of the creation of Abu Dhabi's first Baps Hindu temple. All photos: Baps Hindu Mandir -
The Fairy Tale touches on how the idea of the temple was conceived by a spiritual guru of the Baps Swaminarayan Sanstha on the sand dunes in Sharjah in 1997 -
The film weaves photographs, graphics, animation and 3D illustration to chart the history of the temple -
The temple opens its doors visitors of all faiths and aims to reflect the UAE's example of respect, harmony and tolerance -
Temple authorities are bracing for a surge in visitor numbers over the next couple of months -
The film can be viewed in a small theatre on the temple grounds and is free to children under the age of 12 and people with special needs -
More than 65,000 people were there on the first Sunday in March when the temple opened to the public. There was an inauguration in February by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pawan Singh / The National -
The seven spires of the represent the Seven Emirates of the UAE. Pawan Singh / The National -
Sculptors in Indian villages hand-carved the pink sandstone used to build the temple. Pawan Singh / The National -
The temple has a central dome representing harmony to show co-existence with carvings of earth, water, fire, air and plants. Pawan Singh / The National
Organisers have issued strict guidelines to manage people and traffic on busy festival days.
All visitors are required to register online before arriving at the temple. Registration is mandatory for entry and can be completed at mandir.ae/book-visit.
Each person must individually register to enter and will receive a QR code with an entry pass that will be verified against an identification card or document.
The Baps Swaminarayan Sanstha has cautioned that people who do not register will not be allowed entry.
Festival of Lights preparations
The temple will host prayers and cultural dance and music programmes daily from October 18 in the lead-up to Diwali.
The festivities will begin on Saturday, October 18, when worshippers can visit the temple or pray online – details to register for the online prayers are available on the temple website.
The Diwali prayers begin at the temple on October 20 at 7.30am. On Wednesday, October 22, meals will be offered to the gods by worshippers as part of a tradition called annakut.
“Annakut is an ancient Vedic ceremony of offering the first meal of the new year to Bhagwan [god]. It is an offering made in thanksgiving for all his providence over the past year and allows devotees to seek his blessings for the year ahead,” Baps said in a statement.
Festivities will continue through the weekend on October 25 and 26 with the maha-annakut or grand offering of hundreds of vegetarian meals placed before the gods. Worshippers can select from food offerings made available at the temple and cannot carry any food into the shrine.
The popular Hindu temple in Dubai located in the Jebel Ali neighbourhood will also welcome worshippers for Diwali prayers next week.
Global award
The stone and marble Baps Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi has won an international audio visual award for an immersive film that captures the exhaustive planning of the country’s first hand carved shrine, the gift of land by President Sheikh Mohamed and the craftsmanship of the elaborate structure.
The 12-minute film The Fairy Tale can be seen by visitors before they enter the temple in Abu Dhabi to learn the history of the temple.
The temple that has picked up several awards for architecture and design, won the latest Mondo-DR award in Florida in the house of worship category beating back competition from cathedrals, mosques and synagogues across the world.
Swami Brahmaviharidas, the head of the Baps Hindu mandir, said the message of peace that guided the construction was key to the film.
“We can see around us that we are living in a fractious world where divisions are being built, however here at the Baps Hindu Mandir we wish to break borders and the message of unity in this show demonstrates more than ever that this is the need of the hour,” he said.
“This mandir continues to stand out as a remarkable example of architectural and technological excellence in the UAE, a country renowned for some of the world’s most amazing landmarks.”
