NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates (UAE).The BAPS temple inaugurated by Modi has been built at a cost of Rs 700 crore. The temple complex is spread over 27 acres and is also the largest Hindu temple in the Middle East.

UAE President Sheihk Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, who was the crown prince at the time, had donated 13.5 acres of land for the temple at Abu Mreikhah in Abu Dhabi in 2015.

Another 13.5 acres was donated in 2019, after which the construction of the temple began.

The temple has been built by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha and PM Modi had laid the foundation for it in 2018. The consecration ceremony of the idols began this morning.