New Hindu temple in Dubai's Jebel Ali to open by Diwali 2022

Dubai - The new temple is an extension of the Sindhi Guru Darbar Temple in Souq Baniyas, Bur Dubai.

Dubai’s newest Hindu temple in Jebel Ali is expected to be open for worshippers by October 2022, in time for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, Khaleej Times has learnt.

Raju Shroff, an Indian businessman and one of the trustees of the Sindhi Guru Darbar Temple, announced on Sunday that the construction of the temple is under way, and the basement of the structure is complete. The new temple is an extension of the Sindhi Guru Darbar Temple in Souq Baniyas, Bur Dubai, one of the oldest Hindu temples in the country, open since the 1950s.

“Piling, shoring and casting of basements one and two is complete as of now. We are on track to open during Diwali 2022,” said Shroff. The temple’s foundation-stone-laying ceremony took place in February last year.

The new temple will be constructed adjacent to the Guru Nanak Darbar in Jebel Ali, making the locality a multi-religious corridor in Dubai. “Once complete, there will be several churches, the Sikh Guru Nanak Darbar, and a Hindu temple in the same location,” explained Shroff.

The temple will be home to 11 Hindu deities, catering to religious beliefs of Hindu communities belonging to all parts of India, he added. Furthermore, the temple’s architecture will have a distinct Arabian look.

“We want to give back to the local economy and this our way to repay the gratitude we have for the UAE leadership for celebrating religious tolerance,” Shroff said. He added that worshippers can use the spacious 4,000sqft banquet hall for cultural events, religious gatherings and community get-togethers.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai