Honorable Bhupendra Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, visited the BAPS Hindu Mandir site in Abu Dhabi, Abu Mureikhah, with a 40-member delegation, including Shri Jagdishbhai V. Panchal, MOS; Shri K. Kaliasnathan, IAS; Dr. Rajivkumar Gupta, IAS; Shri S.J. Haider, IAS; Smt. Neelam Rani, as well as industrial leaders and entrepreneurs from Gujarat. Brahmaviharidas Swami and the BAPS Hindu Mandir board of directors welcomed the delegation in traditional style.
The chief minister and delegation watched a video documenting the journey of the BAPS Hindu Mandir from its inception to its current status. They also had a special live viewing of the ‘Three Rivers Story’ exhibition, which is digitally displayed in the India Pavilion at Expo 2020, on the mandir site. The exhibition represents the harmonious purpose, history and construction of the mandir and the selfless community work carried out by BAPS.
Then, the chief minister and his team participated in the auspicious Shila Sthaapan (bricklaying) ceremony in which they performed a special puja to sanctify the bricks which they then personally carried and placed upon the 5m-high plinth above the foundation of the mandir.
The chief minister also interacted with Biswanath Patnaik, Ramesh Ramakrishnan and other key local business leaders, and Jitendra Vaidya and other community leaders.
Enthralled by the progress and grandeur of the project the Chief Minister expressed, “This is more than a dream. This is impossible to conceive and can only happen with the blessings of the divine.”