Shiva-Krishna Temple, Bur Dubai (Hindu Temple, Dubai)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Deities
- Shiva, Krishna, Ganesha, Vishnu, Rama, Durga, Murugan, Hanuman
- Traditions
- shaiva, vaishnava, shakta
- Worship status
- active
- Coordinates
- 25.26482, 55.29683
- Darshan hours
- Varies by shrine and season; consult the temple management for the current daily schedule before visiting.
- Best time to visit
- November to March, the cooler and more comfortable Gulf winter.
- How to reach
- The historic Krishna Mandir remains at its original site above the shops of the Bur Dubai Old Souk, west of Dubai Creek, reachable via Al Fahidi Metro Station. The Shiva Mandir and an adjoining Gurudwara relocated to a new purpose-built complex in Jebel Ali (opened 5 October 2022, with the full shift completed by January 2024), reachable by car or taxi from central Dubai.
- Access notes
- As of 2024 this historically single temple complex is split across two locations in Dubai; confirm which shrine (Krishna at Bur Dubai, or Shiva at Jebel Ali) you intend to visit before travelling.
Location
Open in Google MapsDubai’s oldest Hindu temple traces to 1958, when Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, then ruler of Dubai, permitted a Hindu place of worship above a row of shops in what became known as the Bur Dubai Old Souk, west of Dubai Creek. Over the following decades the modest upper-floor complex grew to house separate altars to Shiva and Krishna, alongside a Sikh Gurudwara altar, serving generations of Dubai’s Indian expatriate community from a site that never outwardly resembled a temple from the street.
As Dubai’s Hindu and Sikh population grew far beyond what the original site could accommodate, a new, purpose-built temple and gurudwara complex opened in the Jebel Ali area on 5 October 2022, featuring nine brass-clad domes and costing a reported AED 60 million. By 3 January 2024, the Shiva Mandir and the Gurudwara had fully relocated to this new Jebel Ali complex, while the Krishna Mandir continues to operate at the original, historic Bur Dubai site — meaning what was once a single temple today functions as two related places of worship in different parts of the city. Together, the complex honors sixteen Hindu and Sikh figures, reflecting the shared devotional space long maintained by Dubai’s South Asian communities.
Sources
- historical record: Cross-checked against Wikipedia's Hindu Temple, Dubai article: confirms the original Bur Dubai temple was permitted by Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum starting in 1958, housed above shops in the Bur Dubai Old Souk with separate Shiva and Krishna altars plus a Gurudwara altar; confirms a new temple/gurudwara complex opened in Jebel Ali on 5 October 2022 at a reported cost of approximately AED 60 million with nine brass-clad domes, and that as of 3 January 2024 the Shiva Mandir and Gurudwara had fully relocated to Jebel Ali while the Krishna Mandir remains at the historic Bur Dubai site; confirms the complex (across both sites) honors 16 Hindu and Sikh figures including Shiva, Ganesh, Krishna, Vishnu, Rama, Durga, Murugan, and Hanuman.
For review
- This entry describes a historically unified temple complex that has, as of 2022-2024, split across two physical sites in Dubai — the original Bur Dubai location (still housing the Krishna Mandir) and a new Jebel Ali complex (housing the relocated Shiva Mandir and an adjoining Gurudwara). Coordinates given above are for the historic Bur Dubai/Al Souq Al Kabeer site (obtained via OpenStreetMap/Nominatim geocoding of a named 'Hindu Temple' point of interest on Ali Bin Abi Talib Street, Bur Dubai), not the newer Jebel Ali site, for which no coordinates could be confirmed in this pass; confirm current site details before visiting either location.