Lotus Temple is a famous tourist attraction of New Delhi. Unlike other places of worship which usually have an idol of a deity people pray to, asking for either forgiveness or something that they deeply desire, the Lotus Temple is a rather unique place of worship.

2. The Baha'i House of
Worship, popularly
known as the Lotus
Temple is not only a
symbol of excellence
in modern Indian
architecture but also
one of the most visited
religious buildings in
the world. The Temple
located on a 9.7-
hectare site near
Nehru Place in South
Delhi, is a place of
worship open to all
races, religions and
castes.
ABOUT LOTUS TEMPLE

3. Like eight Houses of Worship around the world, this
magnificent structure stands for the principle of the oneness
of humankind. People of all racial, religious, national
backgrounds, are welcomed to pray and meditate within its
precincts. It is a collective centre of society to promote
cordial affection where everyone is held in its embrace as
equals. This edifice is dedicated to the one God, the Creator of
all humanity and of the entire universe.
This Bahá’í House of Worship, dedicated to
public worship in 1986, is the property of and is
owned by the National Spiritual Assembly of
the Bahá’ís of India.
ABOUT LOTUS TEMPLE

11. The Temples of the Bahá’í Faith are well known for
their architectural splendor, and the House of
Worship constructed in Delhi is a continuation of
this rich tradition. Before undertaking the design of
the Temple, the architect,
Mr. Fariborz Sahba, had travelled extensively in India
to study the architecture of this land and was
impressed by the design of the beautiful Temples, as
well as by the art and religious symbols wherein the
lotus invariably played an important role. He was
influenced by this experience, and in an attempt to
bring out the concept of purity, simplicity and
freshness of the Bahá’í Faith, he conceived the
Temple in Delhi in the form of a lotus.

12. All around the lotus
are walkways with
curved balustrades,
bridges and stairs,
which surround the
nine pools
representing the
floating leaves of
the lotus. Apart
from serving an
obvious aesthetic
function, the pools
also help ventilate
the building.

13. The lotus, as seen from
outside, has three sets of
leaves or petals, all of
which are made out of
thin concrete shells. The
outermost set of nine
petals, called the
‘entrance leaves’, open
outwards and form the
nine entrances all around
the outer annular hall.
The next set of nine
petals, called the ‘outer
leaves’, point inwards.
The entrance and outer
leaves together cover the
outer hall.

14. The building is
composed of 27
free-standing
marble-clad
“petals” arranged
in clusters of three
to form nine sides,
with nine doors
opening onto a
central hall
with height of
slightly over 40
meters.

15. The third set of nine
petals, called the ‘inner
leaves’, appear to be
partly closed. Only the
tips open out, somewhat
like a partly opened bud.
This portion, which rises
above the rest, forms the
main structure housing
the prayer hall.
Since the lotus is open at
the top, a glass and steel
roof provides protection
from rain and facilitates
the entry of natural light
into the prayer hall.

16. With a seating capacity of 2,500 individuals, the Temple welcomes all people with the vision of
creating an environment that evokes a feeling that this House of Worship belongs to them.

17. The interior dome receives light filtered through the inner folds
between the petals which get diffused throughout the hall.

19. The House of Worship and its ancillary buildings are
surrounded by beautiful gardens and lush lawns.
These gardens and lawns are maintained entirely
through the use of recycled water.

20. Surrounding the
edifice are nine
pools. These pools
have fountains
whose primary
purpose is to
enhance the beauty
of the House of
Worship, play a
significant role in
providing a natural
cooling system for
the prayer hall
during the summer
months.

21. Located at the
ancillary block
of the Temple
complex, the
library has a
collection of
Bahá’í literature
with more than
2000 different
titles in 111
languages.

22. The Information
centre is located
opposite to the
House of Worship
on the Temple
grounds along the
path to the main
prayer hall. It has
primarily been
designed to share
more information on
the Bahá’í House of
Worship and the
Bahá’í Faith.

24. 1. The Lotus Temple is also known as Baha’i House of Worship. Baha’i faith
believes that their centers of worship are for all religions. Thus, visitors of
any religion are allowed at the Lotus Temple
2. More than 10,000 different sizes of marble were used in the construction of
the Lotus Temple.
3. Created to resemble the shape of a lotus, the building is made up of 27
unsupported marble ‘petals’ arranged arranged in groups of three to shape
the nine sides of the temple with nine gateways opening into the central
hall.

25. 4. The lotus shape was chosen for the house of worship because
the lotus is not associated with any particular religious sect or
community.
5. The Lotus Temple is visited by over 10,000 visitors everyday,
making it one of the most frequented sites in India.