[Indiawest Journal] From US To UAE: Hindu Places Of Worship Grow

The article from IndiaWest Journal News discusses the growth of Hindu places of worship from the US to the UAE¹. The construction, inauguration, and restoration of temples across the world is a testament to India building and deepening its ties with its 32 million-plus-strong diaspora and an estimated 1.2 billion Hindus worldwide.

The continuous migration of Hindus — as traders, indentured laborers, skilled workers, and highly qualified professionals — has given rise to several temples in the countries they settled in. It is estimated that there are around two million Hindu temples across the world. Some of the noted ones include the Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Prambanan temple in Indonesia, Nepal’s Pashupatinath Temple, and Australia’s Shiva Vishnu Temple.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple, the BAPS Mandir on February 14. The UAE has three other Hindu temples that are in Dubai. The event came just weeks after he presided over the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Before this, the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, the world’s largest Hindu temple constructed outside India, was inaugurated in the Robbinsville Township of New Jersey in October last year.

The demand for temples in foreign lands grows as they not only provide a place of worship but exhibit rich Indian architecture, sculptures, and scripture carvings on walls that get global recognition for the community in that country. As a soft power, countries realize that the construction of Hindu shrines will help strengthen their economy and tourism, in addition to boosting bilateral ties and better people-to-people contacts.

Source: Conversation with Bing
From US To UAE: Hindu Places Of Worship Grow – IndiaWest Journal News.
https://indiawest.com/from-us-to-uae-hindu-places-of-worship-grow/.