Lotus Temple

Lotus Temple is the Bahá'í House of Worship for the Indian subcontinent — an iconic religious building in Bahapur, Delhi, completed in 1986. The structure is widely considered one of the most architecturally distinctive buildings in modern India, comprising 27 free-standing white marble 'petals' arranged in 9-sided lotus geometry around a central prayer hall.

The temple was designed by Iranian-Canadian architect Fariborz Sahba over 7 years (1976-1983) and constructed by ECC Construction (now part of L&T) between 1980 and 1986. Total cost: ₹10 crore in 1986 prices (a significant sum for a religious building of that era). The 27 petals are clad in Greek Pentelikon marble (the same material as the Parthenon in Athens) — a deliberate architectural homage chosen to reflect the Bahá'í Faith's principle of unity across cultures.

The central prayer hall has 9 doors (one per Bahá'í faith principle), seating capacity for 2,500 worshippers, and a central skylight that illuminates the interior with natural light. The temple is open to worshippers of all faiths — a deliberate Bahá'í architectural principle of inclusivity.

The Lotus Temple is India's most-visited religious building, attracting 4+ million visitors annually (more than the Taj Mahal in some years). It has won multiple international architectural awards including the GlobArt Award (2000) for 'most influential building of the 20th century in India'.