LOTUS TEMPLE
"Oneness of God, Oneness of Religion, Oneness of mankind"
The Baha’i faith emphasizes the significance of all-inclusiveness of the religions
The temple is notable for its lotus-like structure with nine reflecting pools encompassing it. The lotus is a symbol for peace and universality, inspired by the teachings of the Bahá’í faith. The divine edifice, which is surrounded by lush greenery, echoes the supremacy of tranquility and love. The temple was constructed in 1986 by Mr. Fariborz Sahba, an architect, who travelled extensively across Indian soil to learn about Indian architecture. The idea of the design of the lotus temple was influenced by the nation’s beautiful temples with designs revealing the architectural splendor in India. He was influenced by the artistic structures with deep religious symbolism connected to it. Thus, the rationale behind creating a lotus-shaped temple was to bring out the concept of purity, simplicity and oneness. Consequently, no religion specific prayers are permitted within the complex.
The temple complex consists of the main house of worship; the ancillary block which houses the reception centre, the library and the administrative building and a lotus-shaped superstructure to house the assembly area. All around the lotus are walkways with beautiful curved balustrades, bridges and stairs, which surround the nine pools representing the floating leaves of the lotus. It is spread over twenty-six acres and has the capacity of 2,500 practitioners. While all the Houses of Worship of the Baha’i community feature a dome in the center of the structure, the Lotus Temple of New Delhi does not have a central dome
The temple is 40 meters tall and there are more than 10,000 different sized marbles that have been used in building the structure. It is the use of the Grecian marble which has led to the white exterior of the temple. There are nine gates through which one can enter the temple. These nine gates represent the nine different religions- incorporation of this emphasizes on the Baha’i Faith: Universality in religion. Additionally, there are nine intersecting spheres which form an interior dome. The lotus, as seen from outside, has three sets of leaves or petals, all of which are made out of thin concrete shells. These leaves are important to the organization of the space and is divided into 3 differnet sections- entrance leaves, outer leaves and inner leaves. Only the tips open out, somewhat like a partly opened bud. The creativity fused with mathematical rigor that has gone into laying the foundation of the temple is what makes it a popular tourist destination in Delhi. The beautiful concept of the lotus, as conceived by the architect, had to be converted into definable geometrical shapes such as spheres, cylinders, toroids and cones and mathematical equations were also developed for simplifying engineering drawing and architectural planning. Interestingly, it has also been called the ‘Taj Mahal of the 20th century.”
The Lotus Temple is one of the most visited places in the world with more than 10,000 people visiting it each day
The temple amalgamates aesthetic value and technological innovation within the entire structure. Even though the lotus shape has nothing to do with any specific religion, the structure of the lotus temple does hold a deep connection with India overall. The Lotus temple is renowned both for its exceptional architecture and for the universality in the teachings that it withholds. It is located in Kalkaji, South Delhi.