Lotus Temple : New Delhi (India)

I’m so deeply moved visiting this great beautiful place, I find no words to express my feelings.

- Ravi Shankar, Sitar Player

A spectacular combination of architecture, nature and culture, this Bahai House of Worship combines the grandeur of a palace and the peace of a monastery. There are no priests, idols, pictures, sermons or rituals here. It is a place for communication between man and his God.

The aura of silence surrounding the prayer hall instills reverence. Daily public services here include selections from the holy books of all religions. Few temples radiate the atmosphere of sublimity, peace and calm so necessary to elevate a devotee spiritually as the Bahai House of Worship.

Set among sprawling green lawns, the petals of this grand lotus are surrounded by nine pools that represent the floating leaves of the flower. The interior dome is spherical and patterned after the innermost portion of the lotus flower. Light enters the hall in the same way as it passes through the inner folds of the lotus petals.

The interior dome is like a bud consisting of 27 petals. Light filters through these inner folds and is diffused throughout the hall. The central bud is held by nine open petals, each of which functions as a skylight.

The nine entrance petals complete the design. Thus light and water form the fundamental design elements.

Lotus Temple was opened to public on January 1, 1987. It took over six years to complete. 10,000 sq.m of marble was quarried from the Mount Pentilekon mines of Greece and sent to Italy from where each panel was cut and shaped before being transported to Delhi.

Lotus temple has etched itself on the consciousness of its visitors capturing their imagination, fueling their curiosity and changing their concept of worship.