Delhi :
Lotus Temple is one of the significant architectures of Bahai faith. It is located at Kalkaji in New Delhi. The temple has a shape of lotus flower and is made of marble, cement, dolomite and sand. The temple has no restrictions for visitors and is open to people from all religions. The place provides perfect environment for meditation, tranquility and wisdom.

The Bahai temple was completed in 1986. Since then the temple has received gratitude from all over the world for its wonderful architecture and design. Lotus Temple is among the most frequently visited monuments in India. The credit for building this beautiful structure goes to the Persian architect Fariborz Sahba from Canada.

Personifying Lotus in the temple does not only mean giving a lotus shape to the structure in fact it symbolizes a message to the people of India in the form of a manifestation from the almighty. Lotus is a symbol of peace, purity, love and immortality. It is this particular characteristic of Lotus flower which makes the flower an important icon in Indian culture and society. This is the reason why the design of Lotus temple has been encouraged by lotus flower.

The design appears like a half opened Lotus flower with 27 freestanding "petals" made of marble. The architect, while designing the temple took into account the perpetual beauty of Lotus flower. The construction work took nearly 10 years before it finally got the desired shape and was made open to the public.

The team constituted 800 engineers, technicians, workers and artisans who worked industriously to give realization to one of the most multifaceted edifices in the world. The temple integrates the artistic values along with the technological influence within the whole structure. There are nine dazzling pools that encompass the temple from outside. Converting the geometry of the design that did not have any straight line to the actual structure needed a lot of effort and dedicated engineering.

The temple has the huge capacity to house nearly 2500 people and has nine doors that open in a central hall. The whole structure is made of white marble that adds to the splendor of the temple. It is about 40 meters tall delimited by nine ponds and seems as if the temple is floating like a Lotus flower in water.

The most appraising facet of this particular architectural masterpiece is the amalgamation of the sparkling Indian history along with the modern engineering and architecture. The temple has to its accreditation being recognized all over the world as one of the most visited edifices in the world with almost 50 million people having visited the temple since its inauguration in 1986.

Awards Received:

Award given to the architect Mr. Sabha in the year 1987 from International Federation for Art and Architecture, USA.
Award for the structural design by the Institute of Structural Engineers in UK
The Citation Award for personifying the visual impact of the beautiful Lotus flower.

Accreditation for its outdoor illumination in the year 1988
American Concrete Institute Award for being one of the most artistically built concrete structures.
In the year 2000 it received the "Glob Art Academy Award" from Glob Art Academy in Vienna.

So, whenever you come to Delhi, do not forget to visit this particular masterpiece which offers a strong message of wisdom, peace and tranquility.