Once renovated, Bahrain’s historic 200-year-old Hindu temple in the Old Manama Suq will be promoted as a much-in-demand tourist destination with the complex open for Asian wedding functions.
As the country continues to market itself as a prime wedding destination in the region as part of plans to boost tourism, the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), in co-operation with five-star hotels in the country, is preparing to host thousands of visitors from different parts of India with chartered flights being arranged.
Manama hosted its first big Indian wedding in 2017 for the Mehta and Jatia Indian families at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, which was attended by more than 1,000 people flown into the country.
Capital Trustees Board chairman Saleh Tarradah said the Shree Krishna Temple facelift project was long overdue, but perhaps its delay has been ‘a blessing in disguise’ to allow reconstruction to be carried out within legal guidelines and classification.
“The original classifications wouldn’t have contributed towards the reborn temple or what the Hindu community may have had in mind,” he said.
“Now, things have taken a much better swerve, as the temple has been granted ‘special project status’. Work permissions can now be sought for the project with the full support of all parties concerned to create a building which we believe will be a landmark facility in the country.”
He outlined that Bahrain celebrates its standing as a country that thrives on cultural and religious diversity.
“The temple or other religious or cultural facilities are part of the capital’s identity, reflecting Bahraini hospitality and openness,” added Mr Tarradah.
“The presence of the temple here for more than 200 years shows the uniqueness of Manama, not just within the region, but around the world.”
The project will be developed using an additional piece of land measuring 1,532sqm and the new structure covering 4,180sqm in total will have an overall height of 30 metres.
Thattai Hindu Merchants Community (THMC) chairman Mukesh Gandhi and Thattai Hindu Community (THC) honorary chairman Mahesh Bhatia thanked the kingdom’s leadership, ministers Mr Tarradah and its own executives, alongside a long list of officials and local community members, who have made the project possible.
“We’re finally back on track with a bigger and better project and that’s thanks to our leadership, the government and the Capital Trustees Board, alongside others who have contributed either with the formalities and procedures,” said THMC ex-chairman, current board member and project-in-charge Bob Thaker.
“The temple is set to be double in size and offer new facilities that will be built to complement the revamp of existing offerings,” he added. “This is a $5 million facelift.”
Mr Thaker said Bahrain was working hard to attract more Hindu marriage celebrations to be staged in the country with the new temple being integral in the process.
“There are many ideas on how to push ahead with the project, for now, we are working to get all the necessary permits so we can begin work, tentatively, in January.”
The GDN reported in January that Bahrain remains a preferred fairytale wedding destination for many Indian families in 2023, according to a senior Indian official, who highlighted the country’s ‘top-class hospitality and spectacular venues’ as major attractions.
Indian External Affairs Ministry’s consular, passports, visa and overseas Indian affairs secretary Dr Ausaf Sayeed said at the time Bahrain was ‘a unique wedding destination’ and that several Indian families were keen to hold ceremonies in the kingdom.
Bahrain hosted eight Indian weddings in November and December 2019, which directly contributed $5.5m to the national economy, before the outbreak of the pandemic put 10 planned wedding arrangements on hold.
Meanwhile, Housing and Urban Planning Minister Amna Al Romaihi granted special project classification from a previous ‘light industries’ classification last month for the building of another Hindu Temple in Salmabad. However, no further details have been made available.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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