LOTUS TEMPLE

DELHI (8 Feb 2010)

The Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi, India, popularly known as the Lotus Temple due to its flower like shape, is a Bahá'í House of Worship and also a prominent attraction in Delhi. It was completed in 1986 and serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent. It has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles.

As with all other Bahá'í Houses of Worship, the Lotus Temple is open to all regardless of religion, or any other distinction, as emphasized in Bahá'í texts. The Bahá'í laws emphasize that the spirit of the House of Worship be that it is a gathering place where people of all religions may worship God without denominational restrictions. The Bahá'í laws also stipulate that only the holy scriptures of the Bahá'í Faith and other religions can be read or chanted inside in any language; while readings and prayers can be set to music by choirs, no musical instruments can be played inside.

Since its inauguration to public worship in December 1986, the Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi has, as of late 2002, attracted more than 50 million visitors, making it one of the most visited buildings in the world.  Its numbers of visitors during those years surpassed those of the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal. On Hindu holy days, it has drawn as many as 150,000 people; it welcomes four million visitors each year (about 13,000 every day or 9 every minute).

This House of Worship is generally referred to as the "Lotus Temple". In India, during the Hindu festival Durga Puja, several times a replica of the Lotus Temple has been made as a pandal, a temporary structure set up to venerate the goddess Durga. In Sikkim a permanent replica is of the Hindu Legship Mandir, dedicated to Shiva.

HOW TO REACH

As we were not very familiar about the Delhi Forest ( Concrete Forest I mean ) it was bit difficult for us to reach there. And it was much more difficult for us to find the return way home from here. We were caught up in a very huge traffic jam and har to wait for a few hours. (Right). The easiest way to speak is All the Buses going to Nehru Place will move along the Lotus Temple.

Anyway I have included a map of the lotus temple so that it will be easy for you to find the route. There was no metro lines near the Temple, but it was under construction.

While going to the Lotus temple, We made our way along the buzy backstreets of Delhi, including places like Lahore Gate, New Delhi, the Red Street of New Delhi Etc. Thanks to My friend Jibil John, who got a good Knowledge about the City.

FOOT NOTES

Team :

• Nijo Varghese (My Classmate during my BCA Course at Kuttikkanam, Kerala) (Right)
  
• Myself

Thanks to :

• My friend Jibil (Working at Delhi Now)
• Mr Shaji, Uncle of  Nijo  and His Famiy Living at Mayur Vihar, New Delhi (Right)
  

Related Links :

• http://www.lotus.org/  (Website of the Lotus Temple)

More To Explore :

• The Lotus temple at Agartahala, the Capital of Mehalaya, in NE India.

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