Bhavish Aggarwal at BAPS Hindu Mandir.
Ola Founder and Chief Executive Officer Bhavish Aggarwal recently visited the iconic Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu Mandir, which is the first-ever Hindu temple in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He took to social media to share some images from the temple and called it a "true symbol of spirituality" which promotes a "universal ethos of peace and harmony."
In a post on X, Mr Aggarwal wrote, "Humbled and honoured to be a part of the grand celebration at the Lotus of the Desert, the @BAPS Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi. It is a true symbol of spirituality and universal ethos of peace and harmony. Our ancient Indian traditions have always understood that you do not just seek peace, you are the peace. Our ethos has always been about being one with the universe or Brahman, of seeing the divine in everything."
Dressed in a kurta-pajama, the entrepreneur can be seen posing in front of the temple. He continued, "I am confident that India will rise as a Vishwaguru and will create a new paradigm of inclusive and harmonious development of the world. This is our dharma as young Indians, and as true Karmayogis, we will devote ourselves to it!"
In another post, he said that speaking at the BAPS temple was "a life memory for me". He added, "It is such a historic moment of two civilisations coming together and thankful to be there to witness it."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the BAPS temple on February 14. The iconic stone temple is located in Abu Mureikhah, near Al Rahba off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway. The temple is constructed on a 27-acre piece of land gifted by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of UAE. In 2015 he donated 13.5 acres of land for the construction of the first temple in the UAE. In 2019, he gifted an additional 13.5 acres. The cost of the construction of the temple is estimated to be around 400 million United Arab Emirates dirhams.
PM Modi said that the inauguration of the BAPS Hindu temple has years of hard work behind it and the dreams of many are connected with the religious place which will be a symbol of unity and harmony. "UAE, which till now was known for Burj Khalifa, Future Museum, Sheikh Zayed Mosque and other hi-tech buildings, has now added another cultural chapter to its identity. I am confident that a large number of devotees will come here in the coming times. This will also increase the number of people coming to UAE and people-to-people connections will also increase. On behalf of the entire India and millions of Indians living around the world, I express my heartfelt gratitude to President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the UAE Government," the Prime Minister said.