Bollywood's Akshay Kumar says 'history being created' at Abu Dhabi Hindu temple

Indian actor among thousands who visit site to symbolically be part of construction project

Indian actor Akshay Kumar takes part in a prayer ceremony at the Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi. All photos: BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi

The Bollywood star carries a brick to the under-construction temple site

Kumar with Swami Brahmavihari of Baps Swaminarayan Sanstha, the organisation involved in the project

The actor listens to a presentation on the temple plans

More than 40,000 people of different faiths from around the world have placed bricks at the site

Pink sandstone carved in Rajasthan, India, is being used at the site in Abu Dhabi

The temple will open in February next year

The two-storey complex will have a community centre, parks, a food court and a visitor centre

It is spread over 5.4 hectares

The Bollywood actor's planned 40-minute visit to the Hindu temple lasted two hours

Kumar poses for photographs with priests, officials and volunteers

The star, known for action roles, meets workers

Kumar takes in the marble carvings transported to Abu Dhabi from Rajasthan

Bricks that will be used to build the temple are blessed

The building will not have steel reinforcements, in an echo of ancient Hindu temples

Kumar described the construction of the temple as historic

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar has hailed Abu Dhabi's landmark Hindu temple as a beacon of “peace, love and support” during a visit to the under-construction site.

The popular Indian actor took part in a prayer service at the striking place of worship, which is due to open next February.

He is one of more than 40,0000 people drawn from different nations and faiths who have gathered in recent months to pray over and bless bricks at the temple site in Abu Dhabi’s Abu Mureikha area.

These bricks are then used in the construction of the country’s first traditional, hand-carved Hindu temple.

“You are creating history,” he told the priests and volunteers who took him around the site on Saturday.

“What you are creating is not just a service to our community, but to mankind,” he said in a statement released by the Baps Swaminarayan Sanstha, the organisation building the temple.

“Creating a new world where there is peace, love, and support from one human to another, there truly is nothing more powerful than that.”

It has taken years of meticulous research, engineering and artistry to pull together a project that will bring to life ancient Indian scriptures.

The temple aims to be a symbol of harmony and tolerance as it welcomes people of all cultures and religions.

A dream project

Kumar’s planned 40-minute visit lasted for two hours as he listened to the plans for the temple and saw the marble and stone pillars that have been installed.

“It’s a dream of dreams,” he said about the building work being completed by thousands of sculptors and artisans from India’s Rajasthan and Gujarat states.

He offered flowers during the ceremony as Swami Brahmavihari, head of international relations for Baps Swaminarayan Sanstha, gave details of the mammoth project that would welcome people of all religions and faiths.

Officials and volunteers explained how pink sandstone sculptures of Hindu deities carved in India’s Rajasthan state were transported to the UAE.

Each unit is assigned a unique number and fitted on the site without using steel reinforcements in keeping with construction in ancient temples in India.

The actor, known for roles in Hindi-language action movies, also watched a video presentation that plotted the journey of the temple from conception to the current stage.

Tales from ancient civilisations

The UAE government granted land for the temple in 2015 during the first visit of Narendra Modi, India’s Prime Minister, when the plans were announced.

On a site off the main Dubai-Abu Dhabi motorway, the temple complex will comprise a community centre, exhibition hall, visitor centre, parks, an amphitheatre and water features.

The temple complex will hold about 2,000 worshippers, with organisers gearing up to welcome 40,000 people a day during religious festivals.

Spread across 5.4 hectares, the land was given to the Indian community by President Sheikh Mohamed when he was Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

The site is also being prepared for parking for cars, buses and two helipads.

Swami Brahmavihari took Mr Kumar and his team to a section where sculptures that told stories of tolerance and peace from other ancient civilisations in the Arab world and from Africa were being prepared.

“Fourteen international tales from ancient civilisations will be carved — a unique feature not found in any other mandir around the world,” the temple authorities said.

The two-storey structure will be topped by seven shikhars, or spires, placed above the stone murals.

They represent the seven emirates of the UAE.

A contemporary Hindu temple that blends Indian and Arabic designs was opened in Dubai’s Jebel Ali area in October, in an area that is home to six Christian churches and a Sikh gurdwara.