With the temple complex in Dubai inadequate to accommodate the burgeoning number of visitors, especially on weekends,
This article written in 2008, is posted here to elicit information about the present day condition. 5 years down the line is there any improvements?….
Overcrowding at the Hindu temple complex near the Bur Dubai Creek on weekends is forcing people to avoid visiting the place of worship, according to Indian community members.
Parking problems near the place also add to their woes.
“Over one million Indians in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi have just one temple complex and hence the necessity of having an additional one. We are concerned about the trend among people, especially the young, who used to visit the temple once or twice a week, preferring not to come,” said Rakesh Bohra, Shanker Patlekar and Prakash Gidwani, promoters of a new temple complex in a different part of the city.
They are hoping that the government will grant them land to build a new complex in Jebel Ali where a 100,000 square-foot (9,290-square metre) area has been allotted for a gurudwara (Sikh religious place of worship).
They are pinning their hopes on His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for the land grant. The estimated cost would be around D10 million, Bohra said.
“His Highness Shaikh Mohammad is tolerant and compassionate towards all religions, and from this stems our hope that we would get the land for this much needed additional place of prayer,” Bohra added.
An estimated 5,000 to 7,000 people visit the Shiv and Krishna temples on weekdays, while these numbers swell to around 15,000 on weekends.
(Subramani Dharmarajan|GN)
