Lotus Temple

There are many historical places in India to visit. If you are interested in historical places, you can visit Lotus Temple in Delhi. Do you know about the ‘Bahai’ religion? Let’s begin with the history of the ‘Bahai’ religion. Bahai is the newest religion in the world. However, unlike other faiths who choose aggressive proselytizing to increase the number of followers, the Bahai religion welcomes people of all religions. It is the only religion where people of other faiths can practice this religion at the same time. In this sense, the Bahai Faith can be better understood as a spiritual movement. Unity in the Bahai religion has been discussed.

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The Bahais follow Baha'u'llah - the promise of unity for all ages. The Lotus Temple was built in the Bahai religion style to convey its beautiful simplicity through its designs. The design, though magnificent in its own right, shows fresh inferiority of stylish embellishment. It has been created in such a way as to keep pace with the novelty and clarity of thought of the Bahai school.   The Lotus Temple was designed in keeping with the Indian architectural style, which can be seen in the reflection of its religious and cultural sentiments.

The chief architect of the temple was Ferryborg Sahaba. During the impending design of the temple, Sahaba kept a few things in mind: visiting the temple, the symbols used by him should be known to the Indian people, it should not look like an imitation of an existing building, and the imagery, style, and symbolism should carry a strong message about the Bahai Faith.   However, his task became quite tricky and had such an exciting result that it was hailed as a ‘wonder’ by Sahib’s contemporaries. The infrastructure consists of 27 lotus petal-like combinations, 9 in each of the three levels. The outer petals act as celestial light and emit gentle diffuse light.

Nine ponds surround the Lotus Temple to reflect the effect of the floating lotus on the water.   At night, bright artificial exterior light illuminates the lotus petals' outer edges, while dim light is used to decorate the inside. Thus, the impression of a lotus flower is completed. The petal surfaces are covered with marble, which was collected from the mountains of Pentelli in Greece. Since it was not economically feasible to air-condition this vast space; Therefore, natural ventilation technique has been used to cool the area. The chief architect Ferryborg Sahaba himself is a follower of the Bahai Religion. The name Lotus Temple sounds like a temple to the Hindu god Vishnu.

No deity or religion is worshiped in this temple. This temple is a temple of peace of mind. This temple is considered a symbol of happiness and peace.   Both the temple and its creator have won various architectural awards. They have been acclaimed by architectural, religious, and artistic organizations around the world. The lotus flower has been sacred to Indians for centuries. It is widely mentioned in ancient Indian texts and the biography of Gautama Buddha. In many Indian languages, the lotus flower is also known as "Pankaj."

This means that which grows in muddy water or mud and nevertheless remains pure and unclean. In Indian mythology, the lotus is the seat of the Creator, God Brahma. So, the flower is associated with creativity and immortality. The Lotus flower art symbol or motif can also be noticed in Zoroastrian (Persian) architecture. Lotus Flowers Architects have chosen the lotus as their original design because of the recurring motifs in various architectural styles across India.   There are six other Bahai places of worship around the world. They are; Apia (Western Samoa), Sydney (Australia), Kampala (Uganda), Panama City (Panama), Frankfurt (Germany), and Wilmette (USA).

The Lotus Temple was featured in Guinness World Records in 2001. It took about ten years to build the Lotus Temple. This beautiful temple was completed in November 1986. It was inaugurated on 24 1986, and the temple was opened to the public on 1jan 1987. This temple in India is an example of fine art. This temple, which is considered a symbol of happiness and peace, took 700 people to build this temple, including workers, engineers, and painters.   The Lotus Temple has also found a place of prominence over Indian stamps (postage stamps) Lotus Temple is open every day of the week except Mondays. There is no entrance fee to visit the Lotus Temple.

As Delhi is extremely hot during the hot summers and extremely cold during the winter months, it can be considered the best time to visit during spring and autumn. The best time to visit this place is from February to April and from the end of September to December.  

How to reach there  The temple is located in the village of Bahapur in Delhi, the capital of India. The nearest airport for international travelers is Indira Gandhi International Airport. From here, it takes about 34 minutes by car to reach the Lotus Temple via Outer Ring Road.   A traveler can take a car to reach the Lotus Temple from the New Delhi Railway Station. It takes about 40 minutes to reach here by car via Vaya Lala Lajpat Roy Road.   You can also visit India Gate, Akshardham Temple, Jama Masjid, Cont Place, Bhairon Temple, Kalkaji Devi Temple, Balaji Hanuman Temple, etc.  

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Written by, Samiha Jahan

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