The Travel Talk

LOTUS TEMPLE

Lotus Temple is one of the prominent attractions of New Delhi. It is close to Nehru Place, one of the busiest commercial hubs in the city. The temple is built in the shape of a lotus flower amidst the lush green landscape that turn up to a pleasant and tranquil ambience. Known for its Lotus flower-like shape, the place is a Baha’i House of Worship. Opened for the public in December 1986, construction of The Lotus Temple cost around $10 million. The temple is not just known for its scenic value, its serenity and calmness attracts people from across the globe.

The best part of this temple is that people from any religion, caste or creed can visit it, without any inhibition or restriction. However, it remains a significant attraction amongst the tourists purely from the architectural point of view.

It has, in fact, won many awards. According to the statistics from the Government of India, the Baha’i House of Worship had 100 million visitors by April 2014. It is one of the most visited buildings of the world. A significant chunk of its visitors is architectural enthusiasts from across the globe, which fly down to see this architectural marvel and appreciate its beauty.

The Baha’i Faith is the latest chapter in the never-ending process of Divine Revelation. Baha’u’llah, the Prophet Founder of the Baha’i Faith, revealed that humanity is now in at a turning point in its collective evolution where it has the powers and capacities necessary to achieve the unity of humankind. This unification, which will be the hallmark of humanity’s coming of age, will involve the complete reordering of the life of the individual, the community, and the structures of society.

The purpose of the Baha’i Faith in this age of transition is to stimulate, nurture and guide the organic transformation of the inner life of the individual and of the structures of society as we advance towards the goal of the oneness of humankind.

Structure

All Baháʼí Houses of Worship, including the Lotus Temple, share certain architectural elements, some of which are specified by Baháʼí scripture. ʻAbdu'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. While all current Baháʼí Houses of Worship have a dome, this is not regarded as an essential part of their architecture. Baháʼí scripture also states that no pictures, statues or images be displayed within the House of Worship.

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. The nine doors of the Lotus Temple open onto a central hall which is slightly more than 40 metres tall that can seat 1,300 people and hold up to 2,500 in all. The surface of the House of Worship is made of white marble from Penteli mountain in Greece. Along with its nine surrounding ponds and gardens, the Lotus Temple property comprises 26 acres

The temple is located in the village of Bahapur in New Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi. The architect was an Iranian, Fariborz Sahba who now lives in La Jolla, California, after living some years 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 at a cost of $10 million.

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

Tourists visiting Lotus Temple should note that:

The nearest metro station to the Lotus Temple is the Kalkaji metro station that falls on the Violet Line route.

· Visiting Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

· Open all days. (Closed on Monday)
Humanity is at present in an age of transition where it is leaving behind the immaturity of childhood and is approaching the threshold of maturity. Like the rest of the world, during this period Indian society is going through bewildering changes where systems, structures, and traditions of earlier times can no longer address the complex realities of the contemporary world. The cry everywhere is for a moral regeneration at the level of the individual and of the society to guide and orient this process of transition.