Guidelines for visiting Abu Dhabi’s iconic Hindu temple as its doors open to all

News Network
March 1, 2024

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Abu Dhabi: The first Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi is opening its doors to all from today, March 1. Here are the rules for visitors – what is not allowed in the temple and when it is closed for visit.

The BAPS Hindu Mandir, the Middle East’s biggest and first traditional stone temple, was officially inaugurated by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 14.

UAE residents had been urged to visit the temple from March 1 with pre-registration on a dedicated website and app. This was due to specially-themed events that were lined up on the days following the inauguration and a huge number of international visitors who had already registered to visit the temple during that time.

No more registration required

The management of the temple under the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) – a spiritual, volunteer-driven fellowship that has built over 1,100 temples across the world, revealed that no more registration is required for UAE residents to visit the temple.

“The UAE residents do not need to register to visit the mandir,” the management stated. It also revealed the mandir will be open only six days a week for visitors of all faiths.

“The Mandir will be closed on Mondays. The opening hours from Tuesday to Sunday are from 9am to 8pm.”

What is not allowed

The management also spelt out the things that are not allowed inside the temple.

No bags are allowed as there are no cloakrooms available, it said. Visitors are not allowed to carry food or drinks either. Photography inside the main mandir has also been banned to help maintain its spiritual environment, the management stated.

It said tens of thousands of people have already visited the temple.

“We have observed that thousands of people from wide ranging faiths are visiting daily and over 40,000 on the weekend. There are many facilities for visitors to enjoy, like the Orchard restaurant built entirely from recycled material and providing vegetarian meals and refreshments,” it added.

Festival of Harmony

Earlier on Sunday, more than 1,100 people took part in the ‘Palkhi Yatra’ – a grand procession of community members celebrating the cultural diversity at the temple.

Indian expat devotees representing north, south, east, west and central India participated in the procession wearing their traditional Indian attire and performing traditional devotional music and singing. It was the first time that such a pan-Indian procession had taken place.

The colourful procession marked the conclusion of the “Festival of Harmony,” a series of cultural and religious events held to celebrate the opening of the temple.

During the festival, the temple organised various events on different days dedicated to harmony, civilisation, peace and inspiration.

Various religious leaders, intellectuals and a lineup of eminent personalities from several walks of life attended.

Day of Inspiration

The ‘Day of Inspiration’ celebrated the pivotal role of women in uplifting society and their invaluable contributions to humanity. Organised and delivered by the women’s wing of the BAPS Hindu Mandir, more than 2,000 women of all ages attended and benefited from this special assembly.

Alongside the Festival of Harmony, BAPS Hindu Mandir also organised a blood donation drive in partnership with Aster Clinic with the participation of more than 500 visitors.

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News Network
November 15,2024

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Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has killed or captured 69 terrorists linked to the Israeli spy agency Mossad during a major counterterrorism drill in the country's southeast, its spokesman says.  

General Ahmad Shafaei, the spokesman for the “Martyrs of Security” drill, said Friday that a total of 23 terrorists have been killed and another 46 arrested in various clean-up operations ever since the IRGC Ground Force launched it in the Sistan and Baluchestan province on November 1.

Seven terrorists have also turned themselves in during the period.

“The undeniable fact about terrorists is that they rely on arrogant powers, particularly the intelligence service of the wicked and vicious Zionist regime," Shafaei said.

“Unfortunately, weapons and munitions at terrorists’ disposal are among the most sophisticated ones in the world. This accounts for their heavy dependence.” 

The official stated that several members of the disbanded terror teams were non-Iranian nationals, who had been hired by foreign intelligence agencies to carry out acts of sabotage and terror inside Iran.

In a most recent operation, six terrorists were arrested and four others were eliminated, three of whom were non-Iranians, he added. 

On October 26, ten members of Iran's law enforcement forces were killed in a terrorist attack in the Gohar Kuh district of Taftan in the Sistan and Baluchestan province.

The so-called Jaish al-Adl terrorist group claimed responsibility for the assault, which was one of the deadliest in the province in recent months.

The group has carried out numerous terrorist attacks in Iran, primarily in Sistan and Baluchestan.

Its tactics include the abduction of border guards as well as targeting civilians and police stations within the province to incite chaos and disorder.

In January, Iran launched a military operation during which the headquarters of the Pakistan-based terrorist group was targeted in missile strikes, destroying its infrastructure.

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News Network
November 21,2024

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Hamas says the Israeli regime’s sole objective lies in “erasing” the entirety of the Palestinian population from across the Palestinian territories.

Khalil al-Hayya, a ranking official with the Gaza Strip-based Palestinian resistance movement, made the remarks to the Palestinian al-Aqsa TV on Wednesday.

“The occupation targets everyone—it strikes hospitals, civil defense, women, children, and the elderly,” he said, adding that the regime sought to “empty Gaza of its residents, and displace the Palestinian people to fulfill its dreams of building a Zionist Jewish state across all of Palestine.”

The remarks came amid the regime’s October 2023-present war of genocide on the coastal sliver that has so far claimed the lives of nearly 44,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

“This unprecedented aggression in modern times evokes scenes from the dark ages of human history, having crossed all red lines and exceeded every expectation of brutality in the modern era,” the Palestinian official lamented.

He also regretted that the regime had added “systematic and dangerous starvation to its aggression, falsely claiming before the world that it allows 250 [aid] trucks into Gaza daily. In reality, the number of trucks is far fewer.”

Hayya, meanwhile, regretted that “scenes of children torn apart, women screaming over their children, and heart-wrenching destruction have failed to stir enough humanity to stop these crimes.”

He decried the United States for vetoing the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions that are aimed at bringing about a potential ceasefire in the war, saying this indicated Washington’s “partnership in the aggression” and a simultaneous siege that the Israeli regime has been enforcing on Gaza.

Addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the official asserted that, despite what the Israeli official is after, Hamas would not hand over the regime’s captives “without [the regime’s] stopping the war.”

He called Netanyahu “the main obstacle” in the way of cessation of the aggression, saying the Israeli premier “blocks any progress for political reasons,” and citing his preventing conclusion of a ceasefire agreement in July.

Hayya also warned that the regime sought to expand the war beyond Gaza, but asserted that its goals are “impossible and will never happen.”

“Today, the enemy exposes its true intentions of extermination and displacement, but it will fail,” he stressed.

“The Palestinian people are resilient and will not surrender, as they believe in their humanitarian and political cause. The enemy and its allies will not succeed in achieving their goals. This steadfast people will endure, and the occupation will not prevail against them.”

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News Network
November 11,2024

Udupi, Nov 11: A traveller reportedly lost ₹4.1 lakh after attempting to book a cab online in Udupi. 

At around 1:30 PM on November 7, the man from West Bengal searched for car rentals on Google and selected a website named "Shakti Car Rentals." Shortly after, he was contacted by someone claiming to be "Rohit Sharma," who directed him to pay a registration fee of ₹150 on the site.

After unsuccessful payment attempts via both his Canara Bank debit card and SBI credit card (without receiving an OTP), "Rohit Sharma" instructed him to pay the driver directly. But at 1:47 PM, he received messages showing deductions of ₹3.3 lakh from his SBI credit card and ₹80,056 from his Canara Bank debit card, totaling ₹4.1 lakh.

The complainant alleges fraud through a deceptive link disguised as a booking token fee. A case has been registered at Udupi Town Police Station.

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