Bahá'í House Of Worship (Lotus Temple)

A quiet (spiritual) sanctuary inside the chaos which is (India) Delhi.
Even if your not spiritual the calm energy which is inside this place is wonderful.

All these years as a member of the Bahá’í Faith, I had seen the Bahá’í House of Worship in India only on paper, particularly during my years handling audio-visual materials at the Bahá’í World Centre in Israel. It is one of eight temples around the world, built as gathering places of prayer and meditation for people of all faiths.

Inspired by the lotus flower, the building has 27 free-standing marble “petals” clustered to form nine sides of a glass-contained prayer hall. At night, these “petals” float in a sea of spectacular lighting effect. This illuminated view of the Lotus Temple, as it has become known around the world, is what flashes in my mind whenever I think of it. It is an extraordinary vision.

On the evening of 19 May 2006, I was not sure how I would handle that lingering view as the car I was riding in drove towards the temple site in New Delhi. It was my first-ever visit, and snaking through dusk-time traffic with the thought of seeing the beloved temple for the very first time left me restless. Suddenly the car broke away from the jam, sped through, turned to a corner, and drove uphill.

And then, just as abruptly, there it was.

What a reprieve from the raucaus streets….very peaceful and worth the time and trip.

This was a little peace of scilence in an unnecessery work trip to New Delhi, making it the one place i can recommend about this city.
But then again, i saw next to nothing…

I went here because I have a friend who is Bahai. There is a very nice and informative information center outside of the temple that tells about the Bahai faith. But it’s not really worth the taxi ride if you don’t have a particular interest in Bahai.

FYI…the photo on this page is not of the Bahai temple in New Delhi. It must be one of the other Bahai temples in another part of the world.