2016 India Vacation / Delhi / Lotus Temple

Lotus Temple is a Bahai House of Worship in New Delhi, India.

Completed in 1986

The structural design was undertaken by the UK firm Flint and Neil.

The construction company was ECC Construction Group of Larsen & Toubro Limited.

Location: Bahapur, Kalkaji, Delhi, 110 019.

Lotus Temple – Bahai House of Worship / Delhi.

The building is styled after a lotus flower. It has a nine-sided circular shape. There are 27 free-standing white marble-clad petals arranged in clusters of three to form the nine sides. There are nine doors opening onto a central hall, which is slightly over 40 meters, and has a capacity of holding upto 2,500 people. There are nine ponds surrounding the Lotus Temple.

The Bahai temple was created to bring faiths together. Visitors are invited to pray or meditate silently according to their own beliefs. Bahai scripture also states that no pictures, statues or images be displayed within the House of Worship and no pulpits or altars be incorporated as an architectural feature. Readers may stand behind simple portable lecture stands.

The temple holds the record of being “the most visited religious building in the world,” according to Guinness World Records, 2001. It is said to be the most visited building in India, surpassing even the Taj Mahal with some 4.5 million visitors a year.

Photography is prohibited inside the temple.

Nine ponds surround the nine sided Lotus Temple/ Delhi.

One of the most visited edifices in India – Lotus Temple / Delhi

The architecture maybe spectacular. But my main problem with the tour was the extremely restrictive movement. Tourists were supposed to move only in roped lines. The moment I went even two feet away from the live, a volunteer would request to get back in the live. Not the best way to enjoy a place! I would say this was the most restrictive movement in all the places I visited, including some World Heritage Sites [WHS] like Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Red Fort. I would also say that photography is prohibited in almost all Hindu temples. But then, this was not a typical temple.