The Baha’i House of Worship, also known as the Lotus Temple, is a prominent religious building and a popular visitor attraction in Delhi, India. Opened in 1986, the Lotus Temple serves as Mother Temple for the Bahá’í faith in the Indian subcontinent.
Shaped like a lotus flower, the temple’s design is meant to reflect the “simplicity, freshness and clarity of the Bahá’í faith, while also conveying respect for all world religions”. Like all Bahá’í Houses of Worship the design includes a dome that symbolises the unity of all religions – all people, regardless of religion, or any other distinction, are welcome to visit the temple.
This spectacular temple was designed by architect Fariborz Sahba, while the structural design was carried out by UK firm Flint and Neill. The temple, which is surrounded by nine pools of water, gives the impression of a half-open lotus flower, afloat, surrounded by its leaves. The outer design of the lotus includes three sets of nine leaves or petals, all made out of thin concrete shells.
The temple has won a number of awards for its design, including from the Interfaith Forum on Religious Art and Architecture, the Institution of Structural Engineers, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America and the GlobArt Academy.
The Lotus Temple attracts around 10,000 visitors each day. It is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 5.30pm in winter, and 9am to 7pm in summer. Admission is free.
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