Lotus Temple: Facts and History

Lotus Temple, New Delhi, India!

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Lotus Temple: Facts, History and Prayers in Bahai House of Worship

Lotus Temple also known as Kamal Mandir and Bahai Mandir in Hindi, Maabade-Nilofar in Persian or simply Bahai Temple is a house of worship of Bahai faith and centered in an area of 27 acres of land, in lush green beautifully designed and maintained garden. Located in New Delhi, India, the Temple was completed and inaugurated in 1986 AD.

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The lovely architecture is shaped into petals of white budding “lotus flower”, deriving its name from the structure as “Lotus”. There are 27 petals, grouped into three beautiful layers with symmetry, housing a spacious hall of worship and over 34.27 meters in height. The main building is surrounded by 9 water ponds of equal sizes, providing a spectacular view.

Baha’s House of Worship, with nice landscape! New Delhi. Image by HtoH

There are 11 Baha’i House of Worship in the world. The Lotus Temple of Delhi is the most beautiful among them. It was reported to be “the most visited building in the world” by CNN.

Lotus temple is one of the prime tourist attractions of New Delhi, the capital city of India. The major tourists come to visit from Delhi, India and foreign countries, apart from people belonging to Baha’i faith.

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History:

The land to construct the Lotus Temple had been purchased at its site in Delhi. The major funds were received as a contribution and donations, mostly from individuals of Baha’i faith and others. The Baha’i House of Worship at Delhi was completed on 13 November, 1986 AD, and it was named as “Lotus Temple”.

The Bahai House of Worship was inaugurated on 23 December in the same year, participated by people of Bahai faith from many countries of the world, and mostly from India. Finally, The Lotus Temple opens to public on 1 January, 1987.

Lotus Temple, New Delhi, India! Image by HtoH

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Architect of Lotus Temple:

The architect of Bahai House of Worship of Delhi was Fariborz Sahba. He is an Iranian-American architect. The construction project was assigned to an MNCs, Larsen & Toubro Limited. The cost incurred to the project is estimated to be 10 million dollars in 1986.

Lotus Temple:

Lotus Temple, a house of worship, is open to all without any discrimination of religion, caste, gender, age or country. This place is visited by tourist throughout the year, except on Mondays.

There are 9 gates to enter and exit in main prayer hall of the Lotus Temple. After a short introduction delivered by a volunteer about the Bahai faith, one can enter from the gate into prayer hall as guided. The prime condition to enter inside the hall is maintaining silence and peace.

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Bahai House of Worship or Prayer Hall:

The huge Prayer Hall of worship of Lotus Temple is devoid of any idol, statue, or painting. The hall has a capacity of 1300 seating people and 1200 standing, a total of 2500 at a time. Prayer Hall contains wooden seating benches placed in semicircle, inside the Prayer Hall. You can sit for 10-15 minutes in silence. Sitting in silence is the most important way of worship, as believed by Bahai’s faith.

The Bahai House of Worship does not allow ritualistic or ceremonies of any kind. Meanwhile, it does not guide you to follow a fixed pattern to practice worship.

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The Bahai Faith states that a Bahai House of Worship should be a place for all religious people to unite and come-to-gather. Following this concept, the sacred verses from all the major religious texts are recited during various prayer times by Bahai volunteers. The religious verses and text are read or chanted covering from Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Baha’i, and so on, but sermons and speeches are not allowed. Lotus Temple of Delhi has been dedicated to Abdul-Baha, the most popular proponent, and the son of the founder of Baha’i Faith.

Lotus Temple of Delhi. Image by HtoH

Indeed, it seems to me that the Bahai faith is founded mostly on meditational peace and logical materialism of humanitarian oneness, rather than much to do with spiritual and ceremonial practices of worship.

Provided the opportunity to visit New Delhi, I will recommend you to include Lotus Temple, the most visited site of globe, in your tour list with your family, friends or being alone. I am sure, the aesthetic sense of beauty and peace will be satisfied utmost.

Lotus Temple and the Garden, New Delhi, India! Image