Dubai: Devotees were formally welcomed at Dubai's newest Hindu temple on Tuesday night. And a huge crowd is expected to visit the temple today to celebrate the Dussehra festival.

On Wednesday morning, Shroff said, "Today we will have a huge crowd, so for now only darshan (altar viewing) and big aarti (Hindu rituals) have to be done at 7.30 pm." Although it is recommended that visitors pre-register via QR code, walk-in visitors are also welcome.

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The impressive place of worship, which is located in the "Worship Village" neighbourhood, opened on Tuesday in a ceremony that showcased an encouraging message of acceptance, peace and harmony.

Seven churches and nine religious buildings including the Guru Nanak Darbar Sikh Gurdwara are now located in the "worship village" of Jebel Ali.

The temple was inaugurated by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, by lighting a lantern in the temple's ground floor multipurpose hall.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was planned for the main prayer hall. Indian Ambassador to UAE Sanjay Sudhir, CEO of Community Development Authority (CDA) Social Regulatory and Licensing Agency Dr Omar Al Muthanna and Trustee of Hindu Temple Dubai Raju Shroff along with Sheikh Nahyan were present. Ahmed Abdul Karim Zulfar, Director General, Community Development Authority, was also present.

The grand opening ceremony was attended by over 200 dignitaries, including heads of diplomatic missions, leaders of various religions, businessmen and members of the Indian community.

According to Indian Ambassador Sanjay Sudhir, the inauguration of a new Hindu temple in Dubai is good news for the Indian community. The inauguration of the temple fulfills the aspirations of the UAE's large Hindu population in terms of religion. The Gurudwara, inaugurated in 2012, is adjacent to the new temple.

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We consider it an honor that Sheikh Nahyan inaugurated the new Hindu temple in Dubai. We appreciate the kindness and generosity of the Government of Dubai in providing the land for the temple and helping with its construction. We also thank the UAE Government for giving 3.5 million Indians a place to live, work and contribute to society and the economy.

The 70,000-square-foot house of worship was mentioned for the first time in plans released in 2000, shortly after the city was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The inauguration of the temple in Dubai is a dream for Indians across the UAE, according to Shroff, who was speaking to Khaleej Times outside the opening ceremony. The temple is a perfect example of how we view religion as uniting people from different cultural backgrounds.

"The Dubai government's support allowed the construction program to go ahead without interruption despite the COVID-19. The Hindu temple in Dubai is truly an impressive representation of how open-minded and compassionate the governments of Dubai and the UAE are. Emirati remain generous Whether in 1958 he opened the country's first "temple" or today with a Hindu temple.

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Visitors must register in advance to enter the place of worship, and they can do so online. According to Shroff, worshipers would have to register on the temple's website, and in September around 200,000 people used the QR code appointment system to visit the temple.

According to temple officials, a large community center with catering options will be available by the end of the year for Hindu rituals, prayers and ceremonies such as marriages, naming ceremonies and 'Janeyu' or sacred thread ceremonies.