Bahrain: Bahrain’s oldest Hindu temple is set to undergo a half million dinar renovation.

New designs for the 200-year-old Hindu Temple inside Manama Suq will be unveiled tomorrow with a planned budget of BD500,000 to be spent over the next 18 months.

Owned by the Bhatia family under the name Thattai Hindu Mercantile Community, the building is long overdue a facelift, president Manoj K Bhatia told the GDN.

“The building is old, with ageing beams and railings, and the renovation is long overdue,” said Mr Bhatia, who is also Bahrain Chamber of Commerce Industry member and Naraina Holding Company Group chairman. 

“The temple deity is Sreenathjee (a form of the Hindu god Krishna) and the temples of this deity have a specific pattern, which we follow in India and with the renovation, we aim to remodel the temple thus.

“Even the auditorium needs refurbishment and we need more space, as we have no space to stand in with the crowds that flock here – especially at the weekends.”

Permission has been granted by the relevant authorities and work is set to start, Mr Bhatia said.

“We don’t want to move from this location, as there has been a temple here for 200 years and the location is also in the heart of the city, which we want to preserve,” he said.

“The temple easily accommodates close to 1,000 people during occasions such as Holi and Diwali (Indian Hindu festivals), which is a great advantage.”

Hindu Temple vice-chairman Bhagwan Asarpota said that the community was planning a year-long celebration to mark its 200th anniversary. 

“We are trying to get the patronage of the Royal Court to mark the 200-year celebrations,” he said. 

“The temple has been a symbol of co-existence of the two communities in Bahrain for years and it will be a mutually benefiting experience to be sharing these memories and experiences. 

“We will have VIPs visiting the temple during the launch of the Little India sector on Saturday, and we hope to highlight the importance of this historical structure.”

The “Little India” initiative is spread over an area of 5,000 square metres, with organisers planning to stage regular markets, fashion shows and cultural performances in the heart of Manama suq.

The project incorporates three streets – Bab Al Bahrain Avenue, Al Tijjar Avenue and Al Hadrami Avenue (Temple Road) – and is part of Bahrain’s tourism strategy for 2015-2018. 

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will join Bahrain Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa at the launch, taking place from 5pm to 9pm at a
special venue near the Hindu Temple, which is part of a series of National Day activities lined up by the Bahrain Authority for
Culture and Antiquities.

raji@gdn.com.bh