The first Hindu Temple coming up in Abu Dhabi will not use steel or ferrous materials, and instead use fly ash concrete, a media report said. A large contingent of expatriates from the Indian diaspora gathered at the site of the BAPS Hindu Mandir in February to witness the major construction milestone, the Gulf News report said.

Describing the ceremony as United Arab Emirates’s (UAE) largest single pouring of fly ash concrete in 3,000 cubic meters, Ashok Kotecha, spokesperson of the temple committee, told Gulf News: “Usually, (building) foundations have a mix of concrete and steel. However, as per traditional temple architecture in India, no steel or iron reinforcements will be used.” “Fly ash will be used to reinforce the concrete in the foundation. Throughout the (whole structure of the) temple, the architecture is like several pieces of jigsaw put together without any steel or ferrous materials.”

Fly ash is used as a reinforcement in concrete. In some cases, it can add to the concrete’s final strength and increase its chemical resistance and durability.

Pavan Kapoor, the Indian ambassador to UAE and Vipul, the Indian Consul General in Dubai, were present along with several prominent members of the Indian business community and members of the Community Development Authority (CDA), Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The ceremony was conducted by Brahmavihari Das, the senior most saint of the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple group.