Temple construction passes key halfway stage in Abu Dhabi - in pictures
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Pranav Desai, project director, talks about the construction and installation of marble carvings at Baps Hindu Mandir, Abu Dhabi. All photos unless otherwise stated: Victor Besa / The National -
When the temple opens in February next year, visitors will see these pink sandstone carvings that tell stories from Hindu scriptures -
Intricate carvings capture musicians with various instruments including the flute, drums and the stringed sitar -
The first marble carvings being placed in the main prayer hall -
Camel carvings in the pink sandstone exterior -
Each of the carved columns transported from India has a number linked to a similar code marked out at the temple for systematic installation -
Each carving is distinct -
A discourse from the ancient scriptures is depicted -
Grooves are created to allow slabs to be fitted on to matching sections -
A total of 20,000 tonnes of stone - 5,500 white marble and 14,500 pink sandstone - will be used -
Work on Abu Dhabi’s historic Hindu temple is past the key halfway mark -
A carver manually stencils the wall at the temple -
No steel reinforcement is being used but layers of stone with granite foundations instead -
Work is supervised at the site -
A closer view of the intricate and detailed carvings that make up the outer walls -
A stone carver at the temple, one of 120 artisans on site as construction work gathers pace -
Finely carved pink sandstone walls sculpted in India's Rajasthan state have been fixed at the site in Abu Dhabi -
A carver puts the finishing touches to a mural at the temple -
Detailed carvings depict ancient stories of Indian gods -
Cranes at the temple building site -
A prayer ceremony to mark the construction of the first floor of Baps Hindu Mandir Temple. Ruel Pableo / The National -
Worshippers gather for prayers at the temple. Ruel Pableo / The National -
People at a prayer service after the foundation level was completed. Ruel Pableo / The National
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