History of Lotus temple

The Lotus Temple, located in Delhi, India, may be a Baháʼí House of Worship that was dedicated in December 1986. Notable for its flowerlike shape, it's become a prominent attraction within the city. Like all Baháʼí Houses of Worship, the Lotus Temple is hospitable all, no matter religion or the other qualification. The building consists of 27 free-standing marble-clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to make nine sides, with nine doors opening onto a central hall with a height of slightly over 34 meters and a capacity of two ,500 people. The Lotus Temple has won numerous architectural awards and has been featured in many newspaper and magazine articles. A 2001 CNN report mentioned it because the most visited building within the world.

The temple was dedicated 23-27 December 1986 with a gathering of 8,000 Baháʼís from 107 countries, including some 4,000 Baháʼís from 22 provinces in India. On January 1st the temple was opened to the general public and quite 10,000 people visited that first day.

By late 2001, it had attracted quite 70 million visitors consistent with Manpreet Brar, a CNN reporter. The permanent delegation of India to the UNESCO, reported that the Lotus Temple has received over 100 million visitors by April 2014.

The Baháʼí Faith teaches that a Baháʼí House of Worship should be an area for people of all religions to collect , reflect, and worship. Anyone may enter the Lotus Temple regardless of religious background, sex, or other distinctions, as is that the case with all Baháʼí houses of worship. The sacred writings of not only the Baháʼí faith but also other religions are often read and/or chanted, no matter language; on the opposite hand, reading nonscriptural texts is forbidden, as are delivering sermons or lectures, or fund-raising. Musical renditions of readings and prayers are often sung by choirs, but no musical instruments are often played inside. there's no set pattern for worship services, and ritualistic ceremonies aren't permitted.

All Baháʼí Houses of Worship, including the Lotus Temple, share certain architectural elements, a number of which are specified by Baháʼí scripture. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founding father of the faith , stipulated that an important architectural character of a House of Worship may be a nine-sided circular shape. While all current Baháʼí Houses of Worship have a dome, this is often not considered an important a part of their architecture. Baháʼí 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).

Model of the temple at the knowledge centre
Inspired by the lotus flower, the planning for the House of Worship in New Delhi consists of 27 free-standing marble-clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to make nine sides. The nine doors of the Lotus Temple open onto a central hall 34.3 meters tall which will seat 1,300 people and delay to 2,500 in all. The surface of the House of Worship is formed of white marble from Penteli mountain in Greece, an equivalent marble utilized in the development of the many ancient monuments (including the Parthenon) and other Baháʼí buildings. along side its nine surrounding ponds and gardens, the Lotus Temple property comprises 26 acres (105,000 m²; 10.5 ha).

Lotus temple is situated near Okhla NSIC and Kalkaji Mandir metro station is simply 500 meters away.

The temple is found within the village of Bahapur in New Delhi , capital Territory of Delhi. The architect was an Iranian, Fariborz Sahba who now lives in La Jolla, California, after living some years in Canada.[13] He was approached in 1976 to style the Lotus Temple and later oversaw its construction. The structural design was undertaken by the united kingdom firm Flint and Neill over the course of 18 months, and therefore the construction was done by ECC Construction Group of Larsen & Toubro Limited at a price of $10 million. the main a part of the funds needed to shop for this land was donated by Ardishír Rustampúr of Hyderabad, Sindh (Pakistan), whose will dictated that his entire life savings would attend this purpose. some of the development budget was saved and wont to build a greenhouse to review indigenous plants and flowers that might be appropriate to be used on the location .