Bahai Temples

Bahá’í temples are more accurately known as Bahá’í Houses of Worship. They are open to people of every religion and are intended as places for prayer, silence and reflection.

Unlike many conventional places of worship, they do not contain icons, altars or elaborate ritual spaces. Their architecture, however, is often striking and symbolic. Each House of Worship has nine sides or nine entrances, reflecting the Bahá’í belief in the unity of humanity and religion.

This page brings together the Bahá’í temples covered in Indian Columbus.

Lotus Temple, Delhi

Lotus Temple

The Lotus Temple is one of the most recognisable modern landmarks of Delhi.

Completed in the 1980s, the building takes the form of a partially opened lotus. Its white marble-clad petals rise around the central prayer hall, while pools and landscaped gardens soften the transition between the structure and its surroundings.

The lotus was an appropriate choice for a building in India. It is a familiar symbol in several Indian religious traditions, yet the temple itself is not dedicated to any particular deity.

Visitors of all faiths are welcome inside. The prayer hall has no statues, paintings or religious icons. Its simplicity shifts attention away from ornamentation and towards silence, contemplation and the unusual interior formed by the curving concrete petals.

The contrast is interesting. From the outside, the Lotus Temple is dramatic and instantly recognisable. Inside, the atmosphere is deliberately restrained.

Explore the Lotus Temple in Delhi through photographs, architectural details and observations from the visit.

More Bahá’í Houses of Worship will be added to this page as they are covered in Indian Columbus.

Happy travelling.