نیلوفر آبی
The Bahá'í temple in New Delhi, India was completed in 1986. Since that time the structure has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles.
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.
Nine doors open onto a central hall, capable of holding up to 2,500 people. Slightly more than 40 meters tall, its surface luminous, the temple at times seems to float above its 26-acre site on the outskirts of the Indian capital.
Since its inauguration to public worship in December 1986, the Bahá'í House of Worship in New Delhi has as of late 2002, attracted more than 50 million visitors, making it the most visited edifice in the world, its numbers of visitors during those years surpassing those of the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal. On Hindu holy days, it has drawn as many as 150,000 people.
The Indian Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly reports that many Indian visitors expressed perplexity at the absence of any idols. The Bahá'í guides have a hard task explaining to them their belief that the all-pervasive Almighty cannot be put in any limited form. Often the visitors ask the guides where the object of adoration is. Some have placed flowers before the lectern used during regular prayer services.
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.
Nine doors open onto a central hall, capable of holding up to 2,500 people. Slightly more than 40 meters tall, its surface luminous, the temple at times seems to float above its 26-acre site on the outskirts of the Indian capital.
Since its inauguration to public worship in December 1986, the Bahá'í House of Worship in New Delhi has as of late 2002, attracted more than 50 million visitors, making it the most visited edifice in the world, its numbers of visitors during those years surpassing those of the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal. On Hindu holy days, it has drawn as many as 150,000 people.
The Indian Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly reports that many Indian visitors expressed perplexity at the absence of any idols. The Bahá'í guides have a hard task explaining to them their belief that the all-pervasive Almighty cannot be put in any limited form. Often the visitors ask the guides where the object of adoration is. Some have placed flowers before the lectern used during regular prayer services.