Hindu residents of Abu Dhabi will no longer have to travel out of the emirate to offer their prayers.

A one-of-its kind stone Mandir (temple), not only in the UAE but also in the entire Middle east (and Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple) is coming to the region in 2020, it was announced last year by Indian PM Narendra Modi.

The foundation stone of the Mandir will be laid out in the capital on April 20.

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The two-hour foundation stone ceremony will be attended by spiritual leaders and dignitaries, and will be conducted inside a large tent that will accommodate about 2,000 people from across both the countries.

The sandstone to be used in the ceremony will be transported from India

The sandstone that will used in the foundation ceremony will be transported to the UAE from Rajasthan, India next week.

“The foundation stones will reach UAE within the second week of April,” said a representative of the temple committee.

The Mandir will be known as ‘BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir’ and will be located in Abu Mureikha, just off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway.

Construction of the temple will begin post the event and is expected to complete by 2020.

This Hindu temple will be accessible to people of all religions

The 55,000 square metres of land, that will host the temple, was donated by HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit in 2016.

The design of the temple takes inspirations from several Hindu temples including India’s Akshardham temple in New Delhi, but will be much smaller in the size.

This is a landmark step in UAE’s continuous endeavour of bolstering religious harmony and coexistence, as well as honouring the Year of Tolerance.