It was only built about 30 years ago, but already the Lotus Temple is one of the most visited buildings in the world – and it’s easy to see why. The architecture is a modern take on one of India’s most sacred flowers, the lotus. From a distance, you could almost believe it was a real bloom, growing ever higher into the blue sky above.
The white marble structure, dedicated to the Bahá’i faith, has been called the Taj Mahal of the 20 th century – and, like the Taj Mahal, the temple is renowned for its special ambience. With lush green gardens on all sides, it is in complete harmony with its surroundings, and you can’t help but feel peaceful as you walk through the grounds and take in the astounding sight before you.
The temple’s organic appearance was, in fact, meticulously designed by architect Fariborz Sahba. Completed and dedicated in 1986, its walls are formed of 27 freestanding ‘petals’, in three groups of nine, a symbolic number in the Bahá’i faith. Nine doors in these petals then lead into a central hall, completing the pleasingly symmetrical structure.
The whole building is marble-coated, which makes it glimmer ethereally in the sunlight – which simply adds to the temple’s other-worldliness and aura.