Lotus Temple, New Delhi: Experience the God here.

The Lotus temple is a place of worship and to meditate in New Delhi. At a time 1300 people can gather inside this world famous beautiful architecture, pray to God or meditate. Come here to witness the true religion called humanity.

Are you visiting New Delhi, India? Do not go back without visiting the Lotus Temple. It's the Bahai's house of worship but anyone can come, pray and meditate here. The Fariborz Sahba creation and the Flint & Neill structure looks like a Lotus Flowers in shape. Do you know, the Lotus Flower is a common symbol to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam? The unity in diversity for which India is known can be seen here.

No fee is charged. For people who are differently-abled wheelchair provided. It takes some 40-50 minutes to see in and around temple, learn about the architecture and the Bahai's faith and offer prayer. In the prayer hall of the temple, special prayer services are held 4 times throughout the day i.e. 10:00am, 12:00pm, 3:00pm and 5:00pm. Duration of prayer is 5minutes. In these time slots prayers from different religions are said out loudly. The information centre is a vast library of text, photographs and videos on Bahai's faith. Films in Hindi and English are shown from 5pm to 5.30pm everyday.

Children below 12 years of age are not allowed to enter the information centre. For taking photographs, permission required from administration. At the gate of the temple, volunteers will greet you and show you around.

After visiting Lotus Temple you can go to Kalkaji temple a place of worship for people of Hindu religion. Next to it is Nehru Place, the largest market of computers and electronic goods. World's top electronics brands have showrooms here. Also there are eateries and restaurants to fill your hunger appetite. For shopping of fashion wears etc you can go to Greater Kailash (GK) Market.

Travel Tips

I prefer traveling in Metro Rail as its safe, offers less hassle and value for time. Nearest metro station to Lotus Temple is Nehru Place Metro Station. From here you can walk for 15 minutes to reach to temple or take an auto rickshaw or taxi.

How to Reach

New Delhi, India is well connected to the world. Flights, Buses and Trains run 24*7 to and from New Delhi.

By Air: People coming from abroad shall land at India Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) New Delhi. Domestic flights lands at Palam Airport.

By Rail: The capital New Delhi is well connected to railway network. The major Railway Stations in New Delhi are:

Old Delhi Railway Station
New Delhi Railway Station
Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station
Anand Vihar Railway Station

By Bus: Delhi is well connected by road to all major cities of India. The major Inter State Bus Terminus in Delhi are

Maharana Pratap ISBT at Kashmere Gate, Delhi
Swami Vivekanand ISBT at Anand Vihar, Delhi
Vir Hakikat Rai ISBT at Sarai Kale Khan, Delhi

Once you reach to Delhi, further you can travel in a Metro Rail, City Bus, Taxi or Auto Rickshaw to reach to Lotus Temple.

Contact Info

Bahá'í House of Worship
Bahapur, Kalkaji
New Delhi - 110019
Tel: 26470526 | 26444029

Activities

In my knowledge, there are only two places in the world to meet to the God. The CERN labs and the Lotus Temple. Visiting to the later does not require understanding in Particle Physics. Here you can do many things in less time.

Learn about faith and religion.
Learn about Bahai's faith
See the beautiful architecture
See why Lotus is so cool
Offer prayer to God.
Meet to yourself (The Lotus Temple is know for pin drop silence)
Know about one of the World's Greatest Architect the Fariborz Sahba
Shop electronic goods at Nehru Place market and enjoy Indian delicacies.
Go and see another place of worship, the Kalkaji Temple
See the life and style of high society people of Delhi at Greater Kailash (GK) market and enjoy doing shopping. GK was my favorite Hangout for years.

Timings & Season

Best time to visit Delhi is from October till March. However, if you want to enjoy some budget stay in Delhi summers are advisable i.e. April to September. July and August or rainy months; parks and surrounding areas are full of greenery during monsoon weather.

Timing To Visit Lotus Temple

Winter: 9:00 am to 5:30 pm (Last Entry 5.00 pm. For winter)

Summer: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm (Last Entry 6.30 pm. For summer)

Timing to visit information centre:

Winter: 9:00 am to 5:15 pm

Summer: 9:00 am to 6:45 pm

Winter: 1st October to 31st March

Summer: 1st April to 30th September

Closed on all Mondays

History

The Lotus Temple or Bahai's temple, New Delhi has roots in Bahai's faith. This is mother temple in India for people of Bahai's faith and a popular tourist attraction. The temple has won several awards and recognitions in media for its architecture. The construction of the temple was completed on 13 November 1986 and opened for public from 24 December 1986. During 2001, the temple received more than 70 million visitors, a number higher than number of visitors to Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal in that year. On average, 8000 to 10000 people come here regularly. The Government of India has issued a 6.50 stamp in the honor of Lotus Temple on 25 June 1991.