Lotus Temple

The Lotus Temple, located in Delhi, India, is a Bahá’í House of Worship that was dedicated in December 1986, costing $10 million. Notable for its flowerlike shape, it has become a prominent attraction in the city. Like all Bahá’í Houses of Worship, the Lotus Temple is open to all, regardless of religion or any other qualification. The building is composed of 27 free-standing marble-clad “petals” arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides, with nine doors opening onto a central hall with a height of slightly over 40 metres and a capacity of 2,500 people. The Lotus Temple has won numerous architectural awards and has been featured in many newspaper and magazine articles. A 2001 CNN report referred to it as the most visited building in the world.

Lotus temple is situated near Nehru Place and Kalkaji Mandir metro station is just 500 meters away. The temple is in the village of Bahapur in New Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi. The architect was an Iranian, Fariborz Sahba who now lives in Canada. He was approached in 1976 to design the Lotus Temple and later oversaw its construction. The structural design was undertaken by the UK firm Flint and Neill over the course of 18 months, and the construction was done by ECC Construction Group of Larsen & Toubro Limited. The major part of the funds needed to buy this land was donated by Ardishír Rustampúr of Hyderabad, Sindh, who gave his entire life savings for this purpose in 1953. A portion of the construction budget was saved and used to build a greenhouse to study indigenous plants and flowers that would be appropriate for use on the site.

Architecture of Lotus Temple:
The beautiful Lotus Temple is made up of Greek white marble, that too in the shape of a Lotus. One of the main reasons behind choosing Lotus as the symbol of the temple was that Lotus, as a flower, is common to many different religions. This includes Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism as well as Islam. The structure for this Baha’i House of Worship in Delhi comprises of 27 free-standing white marble lotus petals which are further organised into bunches of three. These bunches then form the nine sides. The nine doors of the temple then open into a magnificent central hall, which can hold over 2,000 people at once.

An interesting part of the design of the Lotus Temple is that it has been designed in a way such that no external or additional lighting is required to light up the large prayer hall. The light you get is that which filters through the inner folds of the Lotus petals. It then spreads throughout the hall, acting as a sort of natural light. The Lotus Temple is spread over an expanse of more than 26 acres, and has nine beautiful pools as well as lush green gardens surrounding it, adding to the beauty and glory of the entire place.

Best time to Visit Lotus Temple, Delhi
You can visit Lotus Temple throughout the year. But from the month of October to March is the best time to visit Lotus Temple. During winter the weather is very pleasant and you will enjoy in exploring the whole complex of Lotus Temple.

How to Reach Lotus Temple
The nearest metro station is Kalkaji Metro Station. You can also hire taxi or auto riskshaws from any other tourist attractions of Delhi.

Delhi Tourism

Delhi Tourism, for all the right reasons, is the national capital of incredible India. Synonymous with diversity, Delhi tour has always been the epicentre of all activities in India which is reflected in its tourism. Right from the time of Pandavas, it has served as a major strategic and cultural hub of the country and rightly so, today it’s an exhibition of the history of India. Travelling in Delhi isn’t just limited to history but it’s a step to take past and present hand in hand. Blended with modern advancements, Delhi is the modern-day city of Troy. The amalgamation of all religion and spiritual hubs of different faiths coexisting together in peace is the testament of the unity in diversity. Delhi offers numerous tourist attractions ranging from monuments, museums, shrines to modern day markets. Exploring the city is like witnessing a mini-India, with Delhi Tourism being a reflection of rich culture of India.