Lotus Temple : Delhi

The Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi, India, popularly known as the Lotus Temple due to its flower like shape  is a Bahá'í 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.

As with all other Bahá'í Houses of Worship, the Lotus Temple is open to all regardless of religion, or any other distinction, as emphasized in Bahá'í texts. `Abdu'l-Bahá, 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.

The site is in the village of Bahapur, in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The architect was an Iranian, who now lives in Canada, named Fariborz Sahba. 

Since its inauguration to public worship in December 1986, the Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi has, as of late 2002, attracted more than 50 million visitors, making it one of the most visited buildings in the world. Books written on lotus temple are:

• Forever in Bloom: The Lotus of Bahapur, Photographs by Raghu Rai, text by Roger White, Time Books International, 1992
• The Dawning Place of the Remembrance of God, Thomas Press, 2002

It has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles.
 

Location- New Delhi
  

Time to Visit: On all days except Monday
 

Preferred Timings: Summer/ Winter: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m./ 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 
 

Coordinates: 28°33′11″N 77°15′31″E / 28.553088°N 77.258735°E

How to reach the destination:
 

Nearest Railway Station : Nizamuddin Railway Station.
 

Nearest Metro Station : Central Secretariat. 
 

Nearest International Airport : Indira Gandhi International Airport .
 

Tourists can either take local buses from various points within the city to reach this temple located in South Delhi, or they can take auto-rickshaws and taxis or metro rail. 

 
Special Attraction:
 
There are four Prayer Sessions everyday. These Prayer Sessions are unique, as prayers from all religions are recited during these Prayer Sessions. Prayer Session Timings: 1000 hrs - 1015 hrs (15 minutes), 1200 hrs - 1215 hrs (15 minutes), 1500 hrs - 1515 hrs (15 minutes), 1700 hrs - 1715 hrs (15 minutes).