Lotus Temple (New Delhi) - a house of worship of the Bahai in the shape of lotus

Where is located Lotus Temple?

Address of Lotus Temple is Bahapur, Kalkaji, New Delhi, India
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When was built Lotus Temple?

Built date of Lotus Temple is 1978 - construction begins
November 13, 1986 - completion date
December 24, 1986 - opening date

Facts, informations and history of Lotus Temple

The Lotus Temple is a house of Bahai worship, or "place where God's name is said at dawn" in New Delhi. The shape resembles a floating lotus flower - a Bahamian symbol of purity, beauty and divinity, which is on the verge of flowering and surrounded by leaves.

She is one of the seven mashriks in the world. Others are located in Sydney, Australia, Panama City in Panama, Apia in Western Samoa, Kampala in Uganda, Frankfurt in Germany and Wilmette in the USA.

The temple is surrounded by gardens, and its location in the middle of the ponds gives the impression of a giant lotus flower floating on the water.

Access to the temple leads nine bridges that pass through nine ponds surrounding the temple and provide access to nine doors. The door leads to a central area that reaches 40 meters in height, although there are no visible supports.

The outer structure of the building consists of 27 giant marble petals, 9 on each of the three types of leaves that surround the inner space.

The external white marble cover ensures that the building is visible from afar and shines in the rays of the sun, turning purple at sunset. Marble originates from Penteli Mountain in Greece and is also used in other Baha'i prayer houses.

The top of the structure seems open, but in fact it has a glass and steel roof that lets in natural daylight.

It is claimed that the Lotus Temple is the most visited building in the world. Every day, it is visited by between 8,000 and 10,000 people.

Since its opening in 1986, the temple has won many architectural and design awards, including from Instituation of Structural Engineers (1987), Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (1988), Architectural Society of China (2000), GlobArt Academy in Vienna (2000).

It is the largest Baha'i temple in India, it has a width of 70 meters, its interior can accommodate 2500 people.

The temple in Delhi was financed almost entirely with private donations and was built thanks to a donation from Ardishir Rustampur from Hyderabad in southern India, who devoted his entire life to this project.

The building uses a natural air circulation to keep the building cool. The design team confirmed that the holes in the basement and at the top of the structure will draw in air through the building. This type of natural ventilation is especially important in Delhi, which is very hot for several months of the year. Electricity powered air conditioning would be very expensive.

The design team also equipped the temple with solar panels. This is the first temple in Delhi that used them. The building draws approximately 20% of its electricity (120 kW) from solar energy.

The Lotus Temple is open to all practitioners regardless of religious affiliation and functions more as a place of worship for interested guests. Baha'i faith alone teaches the unity and equality of all people and religions. This religion welcomes everyone in its temples and allows you to read aloud or chant the texts of other religions.

Architect of Lotus Temple

How many meters have Lotus Temple?

Height of Lotus Temple is 40 meters

Construction/building type

Building Lotus Temple is of type Temple

Architectural style

Architectural style of Lotus Temple is Expressionism

Other dimensions, parameters and frequently asked questions

What area have Lotus Temple?

Lotus Temple have area of 105 000 m² - the area of the temple and gardens

What material is the building made of?

Lotus Temple is made of the following materials: reinforced concrete, marble, glass

Cost

Build cost of Lotus Temple is $10 million

Other names

The building is also known by other common names or in the original language, i.e. Bahá’í House of Worship

Official website

The official website of the building, where up-to-date information can be found, is http://bahaihouseofworship.in