Archive · 11 Sep 2026
Modi’s BAPS Ties Link India’s Soft Power to Its Fallout
In 2015, Narendra Modi asked the United Arab Emirates to help build a Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.
The request was made during his official visit to the UAE.
A UAE diplomat said the president approved it very quickly.
The temple received both permission and land for construction.
Modi later opened the temple in 2024.
The temple was built by BAPS, a Hindu organization with activities in many countries.
The article says BAPS has helped India present its culture abroad.
It also argues that Modi’s close involvement connects him to any problems linked to the organization’s role as a soft-power tool.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi played a direct role in securing permission and land for a BAPS temple in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
The breakthrough came during Modi’s August 2015 UAE visit, the first by an Indian prime minister in 34 years.
A UAE diplomat said President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahayan approved Modi’s temple request in five minutes.
Modi inaugurated the Abu Dhabi Hindu temple in 2024.
The article describes BAPS as a major vehicle for India’s cultural diplomacy and foreign-policy outreach since Modi took office.
- Who
- Narendra Modi, BAPS, and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahayan are identified as central figures or institutions.
- What
- Permission and land were secured for a BAPS Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, which Modi inaugurated in 2024.
- When
- The approval and land grant were pursued in August 2015; the temple was inaugurated in 2024.
- Where
- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
- Why
- The temple and BAPS’s international network were used as part of India’s cultural diplomacy and foreign-policy outreach.
- Organization
- Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS)
- Location
- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Permission and land
- Secured during Modi’s 2015 UAE visit
- Approval claim
- A UAE diplomat said the request was approved in five minutes
- Inauguration
- The temple was inaugurated by Modi in 2024
- Diplomatic significance
- The article describes BAPS as a vehicle for India’s cultural diplomacy
- 2015 visit
- The article identifies it as the first visit to the UAE by an Indian prime minister in 34 years