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The Bahaí House of Worship in Delhi, India, popularly known as the Lotus Temple due to its flowerlike shape, is a Bahai House of Worship and also a prominent attraction in Delhi. It was completed in 1986 and serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent. It has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles.
Architectural Wonder:
All Bahai Houses of Worship, including the Lotus Temple, share certain architectural elements, some of which are specified by Bahai scripture. `Abdu'l-Baha, the son of the founder of the religion, stipulated that an essential architectural character of a House of Worship be that it requires to have a nine-sided circular shape.
Inspired by the lotus flower, its design is composed of 27 free-standing marble clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides. While all current Bahai Houses of Worship have a dome, they are not regarded as an essential part of their architecture. Bahaí 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 House of Worship
The nine doors of the Lotus Temple open onto a central hall, capable of holding up to 2,500 people. The central hall is slightly more than 40 meters tall and its surface is made of white marble. The white marbles are from Penteli mountain in Greece, the very same from which many of the ancient monuments were built and also many other Bahai temples. The House of Worship, along with the nine surrounding ponds and the gardens.
The Architect and The Donor
The architect was an Iranian, who now lives in Canada, named Fariborz Sahba. He was approached in 1976 to design it, later oversaw its construction and saved money from the construction budget to build a greenhouse to study which indigenous plants and flowers would be appropriate for the site. The major part of the funds needed to buy this land was donated by Ardishír Rustampur of Hyderabad, who gave his entire life savings for this purpose in 1953.
Floating Lotus Flower
Covering an expanse of 26 Acres of land, The Lotus / Bahai Temple in Delhi was built between 1980 and 1986 at a cost of Rs 10 Million and was opened to public worship in December 1986. The temple is set among pools and gardens, which gives the impression of a floating half-open lotus flower surrounded by its outspread leaves. The Lotus, as seen from outside, has three sets of petals The petals are made of special concrete clad with white marble, extracted from the Mount Pentitikon mines in Greece.
Distinctions
The Lotus Temple has won numerous architectural awards, recognition and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles. The Temple has received wide range of attention in professional architectural, fine art, religious, governmental and other venues.
Awards
1987 - Institution of Structural Engineers, UK
1987 - Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture, Affiliate of the American Institute of Architects, Washington, D.C.
1988 - Illuminating Engineering Society of North America
1989 - Maharashtra-India Chapter of the American Concrete Institute
1994 - recognition from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, in its 'Architecture' section
2000 - Architectural Society of China
2000 - GlobArt Academy, Vienna
Location
Bahai Temple is located just opposite to the ancient Kalkaji Mandir, East of Nehru Place in South Delhi.
Source: Wikipedia
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