Modi inaugurates temple renovation project in Bahrain

Visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 1.6 million Bahraini dinar renovation project of the oldest Hindu temple in Bahrain on Sunday.

Modi ended his three-day Gulf visit and flew back to France on Sunday morning to attend the G7 summit in Biarritz.

The Indian PM offered prayers at the Shreenathji temple in Manama on Sunday morning and also interacted with the Indian community members.

Hina Gajria from the temple management committee told Khaleej Times that the temple renovation is important for the Indian community. "It is an ancient temple. This year in March, we celebrated the 200th anniversary of the temple, which was established by the Bhatia community of Bahrain."

"Now with the increase in the number of devotees, we have decided we would like to have it renovated. The deity will remain the same and we will develop the complex around the temple so that there is more space for worship," said Gajari.

On Saturday night, Modi addressed a 20,000-strong gathering of the Indian community at the National Stadium where he spoke at length about his government's development schemes.

During the visit, the prestigious 'The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance' was conferred on Modi.

"I feel very honoured and fortunate to be awarded The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance. I am equally honoured by His Majesty's friendship for me and for my country. I humbly accept this prestigious honour on behalf of 1.3 billion Indians," Modi said receiving the award.

"It is an honour for entire India. This is a symbol of the close and friendly relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and India," he added.

Anjana Sankar

Anjana Sankar is a UAE-based journalist chasing global stories of conflict, migration and human rights. She has reported from the frontlines of the wars in Yemen and Syria and has extensively written on the refugee crisis in Bangladesh, Iraq and Europe. From interviewing Daesh militants to embedding with the UAE army in Yemen, and covering earthquakes, floods, terrorist attacks and elections, she has come out scathe-free from the most dangerous conflict zones of the world. Riding on over 14 years of experience, Anjana currently is an Assistant Editor with Khaleej Times and leads the reporting team. She often speaks about women empowerment on her Facebook page that has 40,000 plus followers.