Designed by Fariborz Sahba the Lotus Temple is one of the greatest pieces of architecture in New Delhi. Located at Mandir Marg of South Delhi the Lotus Temple is one of the major tourist attractions of New Delhi. Built in the shape of a half opened lotus flower the temple serves as a Mother Temple in India. This temple is also popularly known as Bahai Temple as it is a place of worship meant for the Bahai’s.
Lotus Temple can be easily reached by metro. Riding on a Nehru Place- Kalkaji Mandir metro it is visible as a white oval structure. Than, from Kalkaji Mandir it is just a 5 minutes walking distance. This white marble structure has altogether 27 lotus petals arranged in a symmetrical pattern. View of Lotus Temple from the air looks astounding. It was made to look like a lotus floating on blue water. Nine small pools surround the building. To make it a perfect structure there are nine inner petals and nine doors open in different directions.
The Lotus Temple at New Delhi is visited by people from all religious faiths. The tranquility of the place is ideal for meditation. The temple embraces an independent religion called Bahai faith. The architecture represents a blend of both traditional and modern engineering expertise. The brainchild behind the architecture of this temple is a Canadian architect named Fariborz Sahba. He took 10 long years in planning the design and implementing it. The temple is surrounded by sparkling pools. It has been constructed by using cement, marble, sand and dolomite.
Completed in 1986 the Lotus Temple has 27 giant white marble petals and nine pools. The temple has got double curved surfaces. The steel used for making the shells of the petals were galvanized to protect it from rust. These shells have got a thickness of about 6 to 8 centimeters. There are six other Bahai temples in the world. Though some concepts are same, but each of them differs in their cultural identity.
The Lotus Temple in New Delhi was inaugurated in 1986. It is open to the general mass from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm in the summer months and 9:30 am to 5:30 pm during the winter months. The temple remains closed on Mondays. This temple is a must visit place of New Delhi.
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