Divinity Atlas

Sacred Correspondences
Sacred Sites

Lotus Temple

Also Known As Lotus Temple · Baha'i House of Worship, New Delhi
Baha'i Faith Sites

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The Lotus Temple is the Baha'i House of Worship serving the Indian subcontinent, standing in New Delhi as one of the continental Mother Temples called for in Baha'i scripture. Completed in 1986 to the design of the architect Fariborz Sahba, its twenty seven free standing, marble clad petals, arranged in three ranks of nine around a central hall, give the building the shape of a half open lotus flower, a form already sacred within several of the religions practised in India. Like every Baha'i House of Worship, it is open to people of every faith for prayer and for the reading or chanting of scripture, with no sermons, ritual or clergy conducted inside, and it has become one of the most visited religious buildings in the world.

Facts
Geography
Latitude
28.6 degrees north 2
Approximate reference point, rounded to one decimal place; this marks the site's general location for a map, not a survey-grade or precise boundary measurement.
Longitude
77.3 degrees east 2
Approximate reference point, rounded to one decimal place; this marks the site's general location for a map, not a survey-grade or precise boundary measurement.
Site
Type of Site
Temple or temple complex 1
Type of Site Detail
Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi, completed 1986, its lotus-shaped marble petals open to people of every faith with no sermons or clergy. 2
Attributions
Tradition
Baha'i Faith 1
Status
Status Today
In active religious use 1
UNESCO World Heritage
Not Inscribed 1
Origins
Country
India 1
Region
New Delhi 1
Location
Location of Lotus Temple Afghanistan Albania Algeria Angola Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Chile China Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Guam Guatemala Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kuwait Laos Latvia Lebanon Libya Lithuania Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Mali Malta Mauritius Mexico Moldova Mongolia Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tanzania Thailand Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Belongs to Tradition

Contained In

India, Countries

Its own text: "standing in New Delhi as one of the continental Mother Temples," serving the Indian subcontinent.

Sources
1. A Concise Encyclopedia of the Baha'i Faith
Peter Smith, Oneworld Publications, 2000View the Source
2. Encyclopaedia Britannica (online academic reference)
Encyclopaedia Britannica editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 2024View the Source
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