The Lotus Temple of the Baha’i Faith in New Delhi is an architectural marvel that is frequented by thousands of visitors on a daily basis. Let us take a look at the history and architecture of the Lotus Temple.
Origin of the Baha’i Faith
The Baha’i Faith is a religion which was established by Baha’u’llah in 1844 in Iran. It states that every founder of the major religions in the world are manifestations of a single god, who is omniscient, omnipresent, inaccessible, imperishable, and creator of everything in the universe.
According to Baha’i Faith, it is the purpose of human beings to learn about god and love him through practices like prayer, reflection, and service to others. It rejects notions of racism, sexism, and nationalism. The word Baha’i originates from the Arabic word ‘Baha’, which refers to the ‘glory’ of god.
History of the Lotus Temple
The Lotus Temple is a Baha’i house of worship which was built in 1986 by Iranian architect Fariborz Sahba. It was constructed by ECC Construction Group of Larsen and Toubro Limited, which cost over 10 million dollars.
The project was funded by donations from Ardishir Rustampur of Hyderabad in Sindh province of Pakistan. The foundation stone for the temple was laid by Ruhiyyih Khanum. It was opened to the public on 1 January, 1987.
Architecture of the Lotus Temple
The magnificent temple is shaped like a lotus as the name suggests. The petals are made out of white marble and there are 27 of them which are arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides.
It has nine doors and a central hall which is 34.3 metres tall. It can seat up to 1300 people and has a total capacity of 2500. The temple has won many architectural awards.
Other Baha’i temples in the world
The Lotus Temple is one of eight Baha’i temples which are still standing to this day. The first Baha’i temple was built in the city of Ashgabat in Turkmenistan in 1919, but was later destroyed. There are also some temples that are either undergoing construction or have plans to be constructed in the future.
The remaining seven temples are located in USA, Germany, Uganda, Panama, Australia, Chile, and Samoa.
