In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Shiva Mandir and Krishna Mandir, Bur Dubai is a shrine to Shrinathji, a form of Krishna worshipped in the Pushtimarg tradition; historically also Shiva, Durga and Hanuman. It is also known as Shrinathji Haveli, Shri Krishna Mandir Bur Dubai, Bur Dubai Temple.
The oldest Hindu temple in the UAE and the historic spiritual home of Dubai's Hindu trading community, predating Abu Dhabi's BAPS Hindu Mandir by more than six decades In 1958, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum granted Dubai's Hindu trading community land to build a temple above shops near the Bur Dubai souk, making it the first Hindu temple in the UAE.
United Arab Emirates carries a distinct temple identity of its own: Home to the BAPS Hindu Mandir, the first traditional stone Hindu temple in the Middle East, alongside a historic Bur Dubai shrine that has served the Gulf's Hindu trading community since 1958.
Darshan hours and daily worship
| Session | Timing (as published) |
|---|---|
| Morning | Mangla 6:30 to 7:15 AM; Morning Aarti 7:00 AM; Shringar 8:30 to 9:30 AM; Rajbhog 10:15 to 11:15 AM |
| Evening | Utthapan 5:00 to 5:30 PM; Sandhya 6:00 to 7:30 PM; Evening Aarti 7:15 PM |
Timings may vary on festival days; confirm with the temple before visiting
Poojas and daily rituals
Daily Pushtimarg rituals for Shrinathji, including Mangla, Shringar, Rajbhog, Utthapan and Sandhya, followed by aarti
History and architecture
Architecture
A modest multi-storey prayer hall built above ground-floor shops in the Bur Dubai (Meena Bazaar) souk, with soundproofed walls to comply with noise regulations in a dense commercial quarter; simpler in scale than newer Gulf temples, reflecting its origins as a community shrine
History
In 1958, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum granted Dubai's Hindu trading community land to build a temple above shops near the Bur Dubai souk, making it the first Hindu temple in the UAE. The complex historically comprised a Shiva Mandir, a Krishna Mandir (known as Shrinathji Haveli, in the Pushtimarg tradition) and a Sikh Gurudwara sharing a courtyard, serving Dubai's Sindhi, Gujarati and other Hindu and Sikh communities for over six decades. Facing space constraints, the Shiva Mandir and Gurudwara relocated in January 2024 to a larger, purpose-built complex in Jebel Ali, developed with land allotted by the Dubai government from 2019. The Krishna Mandir (Shrinathji Haveli) continues to operate at the original Bur Dubai site, managed by the Mercantile Hindu Community of Thatta (Sind).
Planning your visit
How to reach
In the Bur Dubai Old Souk area behind the Grand Mosque, near Meena Bazaar; about a 10-minute walk from Al Fahidi Metro Station (Green Line); also accessible by bus, taxi or ride-share
Where this information comes from
Confidence: Medium. The temple's relocation timeline is reported inconsistently across sources (the new Jebel Ali complex is variously dated to October 2022 and to a January 2024 handover), and no dedicated official website was found to independently verify current operating details