Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of a temple in Abu Dhabi during his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the External Affairs Ministry said on Monday. “As part of a community engagement programme, he will be meeting top professionals and, in that, there will be a special event, which will be the laying of the foundation stone of a Hindu temple,” said Mridul Kumar, Joint Secretary in charge of the Gulf region. India’s demandThe UAE granted the temple project after India conveyed the demand of its nationals for a place of worship during Mr. Modi’s 2015 visit to the country. Apart from the symbolic religious moment, Mr. Modi will visit the Wahat Al Karama, the memorial to fallen soldiers of the UAE. Mr. Modi will visit a Shiva temple in Oman during his first visit to that country on February 12.

Source: The Hindu February 05, 2018 18:45 UTC