Lotus Temple

Lotus Temple
Bahá'í House of Worship

Full view of the Lotus Temple
Location within New Delhi
General information
Type House of Worship
Architectural style Expressionist
Location New Delhi, India
Coordinates 28°33′12″N 77°15′31″E / 28.553325°N 77.258600°E / 28.553325; 77.258600Coordinates: 28°33′12″N 77°15′31″E / 28.553325°N 77.258600°E / 28.553325; 77.258600
Completed 13 November 1986
Opened 24 December 1986
Height 34.27 metres (112.4 ft)
Dimensions
Diameter 70 metres (230 ft)
Technical details
Structural system Concrete frame and precast concrete ribbed roof
Design and construction
Architect Fariborz Sahba
Structural engineer Flint & Neill
Other information
Seating capacity 1,300

The Lotus Temple, located in Delhi, India, is a Bahá'í House of Worship completed in 1986. 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,[1] with nine doors opening onto a central hall with height of slightly over 40 metres[2] and a capacity of 2,500 people.[3] The Lotus Temple has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles.[4] A 2001 CNN report referred to it as the most visited building in the world.[5]

Worship

The Bahá'í Faith teaches that a Bahá'í House of Worship should be a space for people of all religions to gather, reflect, and worship.[6] Anyone may enter the Lotus Temple irrespective of religious background, sex, or other distinctions, as is the case with all Bahá'í Houses of Worship.[6] The sacred writings of not only the Bahá'í Faith but also other religions can be read and/or chanted, regardless of language;[6] on the other hand, reading non-scriptural texts is forbidden, as are delivering sermons or lectures and fundraising. Musical renditions of readings and prayers can be sung by choirs but no musical instruments can be played inside. There is no set pattern for worship services, and ritualistic ceremonies are not permitted.[6]

Structure

Lotus Temple at front
The temple during the daytime
Interior view
Interior view of the symbol of the Greatest Name, set at the top of the temple
Lotus Temple at sunset
View of the Bahá'í House of Worship at night

All Bahá'í Houses of Worship, including the Lotus Temple, share certain architectural elements, some of which are specified by Bahá'í scripture. `Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the religion, stipulated that an essential architectural character of a House of Worship is a nine sided circular shape.[7] While all current Bahá'í Houses of Worship have a dome, this is not regarded as an essential part of their architecture.[8] Bahá'í scripture also states that no pictures, statues or images be displayed within the House of Worship and no pulpits or altars be incorporated as an architectural feature (readers may stand behind simple portable lecture stands).[6]

Model of the temple at the information centre

Inspired by the lotus flower, the design for the House of Worship in New Delhi is composed of 27 free-standing marble-clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides.[1] The nine doors of the Lotus Temple open onto a central hall slightly more than 40 metres tall[2] that can seat 1,300 people[9] and hold up to 2,500 in all.[3] The surface of the House of Worship is made of white marble from Penteli mountain in Greece, the same marble from which many ancient monuments (including the Parthenon[9]) and other Bahá'í Houses of Worship are built.[10] Along with its nine surrounding ponds and the gardens, the Lotus Temple property comprises 26 acres (105,000 m²; 10.5 ha).

Lotus mandir is situated near Nehru Place near Kalkaji and Kalkaji Mandir Metro station is the near metro station. It is just 500 meters away from the mandir.

The temple is in the village of Bahapur in New Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi. The architect was an Iranian, who now lives in Canada, named Fariborz Sahba.[11] He was approached in 1976 to design it and later oversaw its construction. The structural design was undertaken by the UK firm Flint and Neill over the course of 18 months,[4] and the construction was done by ECC Construction Group of Larsen & Toubro Limited.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14]

Of the temple's total electricity use of 500 kilowatts (KW), 120KW is provided by solar power generated by the building.[15] This saves the temple 120,000 rupees per month.[15] It is the first temple in Delhi to use solar power.[15]

Tourism

The Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi was inaugurated to public worship in December 1986. By late 2001, it had attracted more than 70 million visitors, making it one of the most visited buildings in the world.[5] According to the government of India, it had received over 100 million visitors by April 2014.[9]

Lotus Temple, full of visitors
One of the nine ponds surrounding the Lotus Temple

Distinctions

The Temple has received wide range of attention in professional architectural, fine art, religious, governmental, and other venues.

Awards

Publications

Gardens at the Bahá í House of Worship
Surrounding area
Information centre at the Bahá'í House of Worship
Some of the displays at the entrance of the information centre

Articles

By 2003, the Baha'i World Centre Library had archived more than 500 publications which have carried information on the Lotus Temple in the form of articles, interviews with the architect and write-ups extolling the structure.[4] The following are major examples of publications featuring articles on the temple listed chronlogically, and excerpted quotations:

Books

Television

By 2003, the temple had been featured in television programmes in India, Russia, and China.[4]

Stamps

Music

Most visitors

Notable visitors

Government representatives

Others

Lists

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Architecture of the Bahá'í House of Worship". National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India. 2012. Retrieved Apr 12, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Bahá'í Houses of Worship". Bahá'í International Community. 2006. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  3. 1 2 Galloway, Lindsey. "The world's most beautiful places of worship". BBC Travel. BBC. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Bahá'í Houses of Worship, India; The Lotus of Bahapur". Bahá'í Association at The University of Georgia. February 9, 2003. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved Apr 12, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "Encore Presentation: A Visit to the Capital of India: New Delhi". Cable News Network. July 14, 2001. Retrieved Jan 19, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Rafati, V.; Sahba, F. (1996). "BAHAISM ix. Bahai Temples". In Yarshater, Ehsan. Encyclopaedia Iranica. 3 (Online ed.). New York. pp. 465–467. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  7. ↑ `Abdu'l-Bahá (1982) [1912]. The Promulgation of Universal Peace (Hardcover ed.). Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. p. 71. ISBN 0-87743-172-8.
  8. ↑ Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, Lights of Divine Guidance (volume 1), pg 311
  9. 1 2 3 Permanent Delegation of the Government of India to UNESCO. "Bahá'í House of Worship at New Delhi". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  10. ↑ "Penteli marbles for Bahai temples". Dionyssos Marbles. 2010. Archived from the original on 26 July 2010.
  11. ↑ "Fariborz Sahba". In the News. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada. 2003. Archived from the original on 27 October 2004. Retrieved Jan 19, 2014.
  12. ↑ Naharoy, S. (September 3, 2011). "The Baha'i House of Worship" (pdf). ECC Concord (Special Edition, Lotus in Concrete (v2, reprint) ed.). Cerena de Souza: 3–4. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  13. ↑ Faizi, Gloria (1993). Stories about Bahá'í Funds. New Delhi, India: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 81-85091-76-5.
  14. ↑ ""Gardens of Worship"". "Recreating Eden". Season 03. Episode 30. 2006. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012.
  15. 1 2 3 Sharma, Sameer (20 October 2015). "Baha’i House of Worship -Lotus Temple is on Solar Energy now". Ohindore.com. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  16. 1 2 Sarwal, Anil. "An Architectural Marvel". Baha'is of India. The Tribune, Chandigarh. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  17. 1 2 "Baha'i Temple in India continues to receive awards and recognitions". Bahá'í International Community. Bahá'í World News Service. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  18. 1 2 "Bibliography of Publications". Bahá'í Faith: The Official Website of the Bahá'ís of India. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "Articles". The Architecture of Fariborz Sabha. Retrieved 25 April 2016. (click "Publications")
  20. ↑ "Baha'i Philately". Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  21. ↑ Prof. Anil Sarwal. "Baha'i Prayers and Songs". Retrieved 15 September 2016 – via Internet Archive.
  22. ↑ "Jewel In the Lotus". Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  23. ↑ Commemorations in Chicago highlight the immense impact of House of Worship OneCountry, Volume 15, Issue 1 / April–June 2003
  24. ↑ "First presidential visit to Lotus Temple". Bahá'í International Community. Bahá'í World News Service. 18 March 2003. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  25. ↑ "President of Iceland visits Baha'i Temple in New Delhi". Baha'i World News Service. 14 Nov 2000. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  26. 1 2 3 "Distinguished visitors praise Baha'i Temple". Bahá’í World News Service. 12 January 2005. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  27. ↑ "Sri Sathya Sai Baba's trip to Delhi and Shimla - 2010". Sai Baba of India. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
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