With Hindus Making Mark Across Countries, Their Places Of Worship Following Suit

With time, the Indian diaspora consisting mainly of Hindus carved its niche and attained an unassailable position, and as of today, in the year 2024, Indians are immensely successful in their respective ventures spread across the globe.

Hindus And Their Places Of Worship: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 14 during his two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), inaugurated the grand BAPS Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi and also performed Aarti. The said temple is the BAPS Mandir and the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.

The temple will cater to the Hindu community not only in Abu Dhabi but every Hindu visiting the place.

India, as we know, is the world’s most populated country with about 1.4 billion people out of which Hindus form the majority with an estimated 84-85%.

In the past few decades, especially the post World War 2 era, many Indians migrated to different parts of the world, mainly to the USA, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Down Under, i.e. Australia and New Zealand.

With time, the Indian diaspora consisting mainly of Hindus carved its niche and attained an unassailable position, and as of today, in the year 2024, Indians are immensely successful in their respective ventures spread across the globe.

Since they have made those places their abodes, the need for places of worship is always there. Since the biggest chunk comprises Hindus, the construction, inauguration, and restoration of temples across the world is a big issue related to faith and it is being addressed by the host countries with full dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm so that the 32 million-plus-strong diaspora feels fully at home.

It is estimated that there are around two million Hindu temples across the world.

“There are temples not only in India and the Indian subcontinent but in many regions beyond,” said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during his visit to Cambodia in 2022.

According to Hindus, these places of worship are necessary to keep them and their coming generations rooted and connected to their culture, values, beliefs, and traditions.

“Far away from my home and family, these temples to me are a source of strength and support,” said Kajal Dhadwal, a mother of two, who has been living in Tanzania for more than 14 years.

Living close to the Arusha city, she frequents the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir and the ISKCON centre there.

As the number of Hindus across the world grows, so does their need for more places of worship.

According to the External Affairs Ministry, the number of Indians who moved abroad was 2,25,620 in 2022 and 87,026 up till June 2023.

Bolstering this Hindu spirit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inauguration of the BAPS Mandir on February 14 in Abu Dhabi stated in his address that the UAE has written a golden chapter and won the hearts of 140 crore Indians and that “this temple will be a symbol of communal harmony and unity of the world.”

The UAE has three other Hindu temples that are located in Dubai.

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 2023.

In 2019, the Modi government launched a multi-million-dollar renovation project for the 200-year-old Shrinathji Temple in Bahrain’s Manama.

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 realise 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.

(With IANS inputs)