Lotus Temple

BAHA I HOUSE OF WORSHIP NEW DELHI INDIA

Aesthetic sense

In the heart of New Delhi, the bustling capital of India, a lotus- shaped outline has etched itself on the consiousness of the citys inhabitants, capturing their imagination , fuelling their curiosity, and revolutionising the concept of worship. This is the Bahai Mashriqul- Adhkar, better known as the Lotus Temple. As an evocative symbol of beauty and purity, representative of divinity, the lotus flower remains unsurpassed in Indian iconography. Rising up pure and unsullied from stagnant water the lotus represents the manisfestation of God.The architect used this symbol to create a design of ethereal beauty and apparent simplicity belying the complex geometry underlying its execution in concrete form. Twentieth century architecture has been characterised by a high degree of technological prowess however it has been by and large unexceptional in aesthetic value.

GEOMETRY:
The beautiful concept of the lotus as conceived by the architect, had to be converted into definable geometrical shapes such as spheres, cylinders, toroids and cones. ENTRANCE LEAVES AND OUTER LEAVES: The shell surfaces on both sides of the ridge of the entrance and outer leaves are formed out of spheres of different radii, with their centres located at different points inside the building. The entrance leaf is 18.2 m wide at the entrance and rises 7.8 m above the podium level. The outer leaf is 15.4m wide and rises up to 22.5m above the podium. THE INNER LEAVES: Each corrugation of the inner leaf, comprising a cusp and a re entrant is made up of two toroidal surfaces. THE ARCH: All around the central hall are nine splendid arches placed at angular intervals of 40 degrees. The nine arches bear almost the entire load of the super structure.

Top view of entrance and outer leaves

SCALE:
The temple gives the impression of a half open lotus flower, afloat, surrounded by its leaves. Each component of the temple is repeated nine times. All around the lotus are walkways with beautiful curved balusters, bridges, and stairs, which surround the nine pools representing the floating leaves of the lotus. Apart from serving an obvious aesthetic function, the pools also help ventilate the building.

PROPORTION:
The lotus as seen from outside, has three sets of leaves or petals, all of which are made out of thin concrete shells. The outer most set of nine petals called entrance leaves open outwards and form the nine entrances all around the outer annular hall. The next set of nine petals, called the outer leaves point inwards. The third set of nine petals called the inner leaves appear to be partly closed. Only the tips open out, some what like a partly opened bud The overall effect is of a lotus flower surrounded by its leaves, just opening to the sun. The assembly hall can house about a 1000 people at once.

COLOUR:
The lotus temple known as the Taj mahal of the twentieth century has a delicate marble cladding that belays its intricate complexity. The marble cladding gives the superstructure its ethereal white beauty.

SYMBOLISM

To the Indian taste, the lotus has always been the fairest flower; it has enjoyed unparalleled popularity throughout the length and breadth of India from the earliest times down to the present day, as shown by its predominance in literature and art. The lotus has been used as a unifying symbol in all the Indian religions. In the design of the Bahai House of Worship, however the symbol has been employed in an unprecedented fashion. The most basic idea in the design is that light and water are used as its two fundamental elements, and that these two elements alone are responsible for the ornamentation of the House of Worship in place of the thousands of statues and carvings to be found in the other temples.

Function

The lotus represents the Manifestation of God, and is also a symbol of purity and tenderness. Its significance is deeply rooted in the minds and hearts of the Indians. We realise that the lotus is associated with worship, and has been a part of the life and thoughts of Indians through the ages. Hence the building of the Lotus Temple as a place of worship for The Baha i House of Worship. This is a place for prayer and meditation, which means communinon between man and and his creator God. Everybody can enter and say his prayers, but silently.

The interior prayer hall