Visit the Awesome Lotus Temple (Bahai Temple) in South Delhi (2024)

Lotus Temple in South Delhi is a magnificent holy building in the shape of a blooming lotus flower devoted to the Bahai faith. The famous Bahai temple staunchly professes the teachings of nine great global religions and is influenced by the famous Sydney Opera House.

Lotus Temple Welcomes All:

Anyone can visit the Lotus Temple, and there are no restrictions for people of any religion. The structure highlights 27 marble-clad petals standing independently in clusters of three. These three petals get together to form nine sides with nine doors. All the doors open into a common central hall. It may astonish the tourist, but the huge hall can accommodate nearly 2500 people at one time. In fact, the Lotus Temple and its several awards is an architectural wonder that makes Delhi, the capital of India, stand out proudly on the world map.

No Deity or Idol in Lotus Temple:

The hall is serene and noiseless. There is no deity or idol to worship here, it is in fact, the quietness that makes you feel divine and spiritual. There is no special ritual you have to do. In fact, travelers can move about in the hall and pray to their faith in absolute silence. Chant your mantras and pray in your mind as you sit in the pews for solace and peace.

Timings of the Lotus Temple:

In the courtyard, is a fish pond where people often drop coins to make wishes. You can plan a visit to this divine place from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm, any day from Monday to Saturday. Indira Gandhi International Airport and the New Delhi Railway Station are at a distance of about 15 to 16 km from Lotus Temple.

How Can We Reach The Lotus Temple?

The Lotus Temple, the Baháʼí House of Worship in Delhi, India, is easily reachable by air, road, and train. This beautiful-spiritually-scenic flowerlike attraction was created and opened for public visits in December 1986. You don’t need qualifications and don’t have to belong to any particular cult or sect to visit here! People of any national background, race, culture, or religion can meditate freely within the precinct of the Lotus Temple.

Pray, Help, and Serve Mankind:

This prominent Baháʼí House of Worship needs no religious or educational qualifications for you to pray here and treats everyone as equal. There is only one creator and One God who created this whole universe and humanity. To help mankind, God or the Maker sends his manifestations or messengers to guide and educate society.

Prayer is supreme and very important for all communities and individuals. A heart-felt humble appeal helps us communicate with the Divine Father- our creator. Furthermore, collective prayers have immense power that can be materially and spiritually prosperous for the community.

Furthermore, The Divine words of the Lord at the Lotus Temple are universal and focus on the upliftment of the hearts and minds. Service for humanity, good deeds, communal worship, serving others, and treating everyone as equal are the principles of the Bahai house of worship. All men are friends, and we should have love for them. Unity and oneness are the paths of God.

Millions of people are coming here to pay their respects and silent prayers for four decades to the Creator. This expression of unity stands majestically tall and attractive. On the temple premises, moral and spiritual educational programs are organized to keep adults and young people in touch with spirituality.

The Architecture of Lotus Temple:

The Lotus Temple is an architectural wonder that is a continuation of the Bahá’í Faith’s rich cultural traditions. This half-open Lotus surrounded by its leaves standing afloat was designed by the talented architect, Mr. Fariborz Sahba, and is spread over 26.5 acres. He had traveled to India to learn about the different architectural styles influenced by religious symbols and art forms and got inspired by the Lotus flower used in many art forms.

Inspired by its simplicity and purity, he created the chaste and undefiled white Lotus Temple. In fact, each component of this worship place intrigues the visitor with its uniqueness because it is repeated nine times. There is the main hall of the temple, an ancillary block that hosts a conference hall, library, and administrative building. In 2017, an education center was also added to this House of worship.

Greece supplied nearly 10,000 sq meters of marble to Italy where they were cut and shaped into the size and sent to India. All the shells (both the outer and inner portions of the Lotus) were attached with these marble pieces with extraordinarily designed stainless steel anchors and brackets to hold them tightly in place. The Lotus-shaped monument is surrounded by walkways, bridges, and stairs that together give an aesthetic shape to the floating leaves. These leaves add to the beauty and even ventilate the whole structure.

In total, the Lotus Temple has 27 petals or leaves and is about 40 meters high. Moving in from the outside, the Temple has three sets of petals created from thin concrete. The outer set has nine petals or entrance leaves. These open towards the outside and are the nine entrances to the annular hall. After that, the nine petals or outer petals seem to be inwards. Then comes the third petal set. This has nine partly closed inner leaves forming the main structure encasing the prayer hall.

The tips of these leaves are slightly opened and look like a bud with partially opened petals. Nine radical beams are innovatively placed near the top to hold the structure and provide lateral support. The Temple is open at the top with a steel and glass roof for weather protection and entry of natural light.

The inside of the Lotus temple stays cool because there are nine pools surrounding this building. The water cools the breeze, and the design looks aesthetically beautiful. Also, the ducting inside the hall permits the cool breeze to come in and makes the area very comfortable. There are exhaust fans to recycle air and maintain temperature control inside the hall and basement.

How Many People Can Lotus Temple Accommodate?

The openness of the Lotus Temple indicates that the Prayer place is open to people of any community or caste, and the place can accommodate nearly 2500 people together. Moreover, each and everyone praying here gets a strange feeling of belonging to the divine here. The big dimensions make it possible to pray and serve the community also.

No pulpits, idols, altars, deities, pictures, icons, or statues are there to make this Worship house look stunningly beautiful and serene. The whole structure is an architectural wonder with incomparable sanctity providing peace and upliftment to humanity.

Where is the Lotus Temple Situated in Delhi?

Lotus Temple Rd, Bahapur, Shambhu Dayal Bagh, Kalkaji, New Delhi, Delhi 110019.

What Time and How Can Travelers Go To Lotus Temple?

The Kalkaji Metro station is on the Violet Line, and you need to catch this if you are traveling by Metro to the Lotus temple. After that, take a rickshaw or taxi directly to the shrine. You can also reach by bus or cab, the choice is yours to make.

The temple is closed for visitors on Monday, so plan your visit from 9 AM to 5.30 P.M any other day of the week during winters, and anytime between 9 A.M to 7 P.M., in Summers. You don’t have to pay a penny here for Darshan because entry to the Bahai temple is free.

Can You Click Pictures Inside This Holy Place?

Tourists are not permitted to click pictures in the Lotus Temple, though many carry mobiles around. As such, there are no cameras allowed inside the premises, but people do take photographs with their smartphones.

What Is The Right Time To Visit The Lotus Temple?

The opulent sanctuary speaks of grandeur and beauty and shouldn’t be missed at any time. But, visiting this spiritual place during good weather adds to the experience. The sun shines brightly from April to September. At this time, the scorching rays are really hot and uncomfortable. Thus, October to March is the best time to visit the Lotus Temple.

Even though no ritualistic ceremonies or sermons are performed inside the Bahai Lotus Temple, you can still chant through holy book of any faith here. The temple rules do not permit playing musical instruments, though scriptures can be read along with the choir music.

The Lotus temple doesn’t display pictures, idols; images, or statues, still, nearly 10,000 people visit this shrine every day. The Bahai religion believes that this structure of worship in a circular shape should have nine sides, even though having a lotus shape is not compulsory. But, actually most Bahai temples do have a lotus shape and are spread worldwide, including the USA, Germany, Australia, etc.

There are several places to stay near the Lotus temple in South Delhi, and many are just about 1 km from the site. But, most of these are not luxury stays. Many mid-range or budget stay arrangements that provide traveller with the basic amenities are found here. Luxury hotels may be a few kilometers away, but Delhi is superbly connected, so why worry? Book your room and tour around the majestic building. Now, pray to your heart’s content to gain inner peace!