Modi Inaugurates UAE Hindu Temple

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said ties with the UAE had reached "unprecedented heights" as he visited to inaugurate the Middle East's largest Hindu temple in the Persian Gulf state.

But the highlight of his visit will be the inauguration of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Temple in Abu Dhabi, the region's largest.

It is the first Hindu temple in the UAE capital.

"The BAPS Temple is a celebration of UAE-India friendship, deep-rooted cultural bonds and an embodiment of the UAE’s global commitment to harmony, tolerance and peaceful coexistence," India's foreign ministry said.

Inaugurating a Hindu temple of this size in a Muslim country is significant for Modi and his Hindu nationalist government.

India's premier and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have sought to bring the Hindu faith to the forefront of public life since sweeping to power a decade ago.

The BJP is heavily favored to win a third successive landslide victory in the upcoming elections, in part because of Modi's appeals to Hindu nationalism.

The opening of the Abu Dhabi temple comes just three weeks after Modi inaugurated a temple to the Hindu deity Ram, in Ayodhya in northern India.

It was built on grounds where a mosque had stood for centuries before being torn down in 1992 by Hindu zealots incited by members of the BJP.

His two-day visit comes ahead of India's national elections expected in April and is largely focused on galvanizing the diaspora, according to experts, even though Indians in the UAE can't vote from abroad.

The UAE is home to about 3.5 million Indian nationals -- the largest expatriate community in the Persian Gulf country.

The UAE is India's third largest trading partner, with a bilateral trade volume of around $85 billion between 2022 and 2023.