BHUBANESWAR: Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu stone temple - Dome of Harmony - has an Odia connection, Puri in particular. Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, the grand and ornate temple established by Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) was sculpted by Odisha artisans.
Besides, the Dome of Harmony has seven shrines dedicated to various Hindu deities including Lord Jagannath and His Siblings. The idols of the Trinity have been carved under the supervision of Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb at Puri as per rituals followed in Srimandir.
This apart, the temple walls depict various stories of Jagannath culture and the Trinity’s Rath Yatra. It was the Odia Society in UAE that ensured the Trinity is worshipped in the temple along with deities of all other states of the country. Founder chairman of Odia Society in UAE Chandra Sekhar Khuntia said of the total 400 sculptors who worked on the temple, close to 200 are from in and around Puri.
The Odia sculptors worked in Rajasthan where the entire temple was carved in parts and sent to Abu Dhabi in ships where they were assembled. The sculptors were chosen by the BAPS. “This marks an important milestone for the small Odia community living in the middle east,” he said.
As far as idols of the Trinity are concerned, they have been placed in the temple in Suna Besha.“For the Odia society here, it was an eight-year-long journey to ensure that Mahaprabhu is placed and worshipped in the temple. When the temple announcement was made in 2016 by BAPS, we took up the issue of placing the Trinity in the temple with Puri Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb. He agreed to speak to entrepreneur BR Shetty who is the chairman of the BAPS Hindu temple committee and the latter agreed,” Khuntia agreed.
However, when the announcement of idols to be installed in the temple was made by BAPS in 2017, it did not include Lord Jagannath and His Siblings. Subsequently, the Odia Society took up the matter with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Prime Minister’s Office several times and the demand was met in 2018. Construction of the temple was started in 2019.
“The Chaturdha Murti were sent from Puri by Gajapati Maharaj just before the Puri Parikrama inauguration. Most importantly, he has ensured that Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra are dressed and worshipped in the shrine as per the rituals followed in Puri Srimandir and not ISKCON. The temple management has been provided the list of Beshas of the Trinity to follow,” Khuntia informed.