Delhi - Lotus Temple

It was on Sunday, 10 July 2011 when I finally had a chance to return to the Lotus Temple, exploring all inside. I was there (just outside the gate, snapped the temple photo far outside due to time constraint) in June 2009. Hari and Jimmy, my office colleague and my housemate in Delhi agreed to tag along that day. Vikas had to drive us there as our another colleague, Tan Yoke Kuan was waiting at the coffee shop in Defence Colony for Sunday lunch. It was a gloomy day till we were about to leave, when the rain decided to poured down heavily. Rain was good as it clears a dust on green leafs of Delhi trees.

 

Lotus temple attracts 4 million visitors a year. The design is inspired by the lotus, the exquisitely beautiful flower and symbol of purity that is inseparably associated with worship and religion in India. It is built surrounded with 9 large pools of water to play significant role in cooling the prayer hall.

Lotus Temple is the 7th temple built by the foundation of the Bahai faith, in Delhi. Bahai faith is an independent world monotheistic religion, divine in all origin, all-embracing in scope, broad in its outlook, scientific in its method, humanitarian in its principles and dynamic in the influence it exerts on the hearts and minds. That’s what was written on Lotus Temple pamphlet provided to all visitors before entering the prayer hall. The beauty is that, all races with all difference of religion can offer prayer inside the hall equipped only with pots of flowers and marble bench seated in unification form. Bahai faith upholds the unity of God recognizes the unity of His Prophets and inculcates the principle of oneness (Sufism) and the wholeness of the entire human race.

The 3 principle figures of Bahai are, the Bab (1819-1850), Baha’u’llah (1817-1892) and Abdu’l-Baha’ (1844-1921). The Bab is a Persian who proclaimed that he was the forerunner (the 12th of Shia Iman, Imam Mahdi) to prepare the way and herald the appearance of a new spiritual figure, which teaching were widely accepted but considered as heresy by the Orthodox Muslim. He was persecuted in 1850 and for the next 2 decades, his followers were brutally killed. His shrine is in Haifa, Israel. Whilst, Baha’u’llah was tortured in prison for being a believer in Bab. In 1863, while in exile in Baghdad, he publicly proclaimed that he was the Promised One. Due to that, he banished to Istanbul from Baghdad and Edirne and finally to Akka, Palestine where his remains were laid to rest facing Mount Carmel. His eldest son, Abdul Baha, being named as his successor and took the leadership till he died and buried on the Mount Carmel in the same shrine as the Bab.

The laws of the Bahai Faith primarily come from the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, written by Bahá'u'lláh. The following are a few examples of basic laws and religious observances :-

• Prayer in the Bahai Faith consists of obligatory prayer and devotional (general) prayer. Bahai s over the age of 15 must individually recite Obligatory Bahai prayers each day, using fixed words and form. In addition to the daily obligatory prayer, believers are directed to daily offer Prayer in the Bahá'í Faith and to meditate and study sacred scripture. There is no set form for devotions and meditations, though the devotional prayers written by the central figures of the Bahai Faith and collected in prayer books are held in high esteem. Reading aloud of prayers from prayer books is a typical feature of Bahai gatherings.
• Backbiting and Gossip are prohibited and denounced.
• Adult Bahai in good health should observe a Nineteen Day Fast each year from March 2 through March 20.
• Bahai’s are forbidden to drink Alcoholic beverage or to take drugs, unless prescribed by doctors.
• Sexual intercourse is only permitted between a husband and wife, and thus Premarital and Homosexual intercourse are forbidden.
• Gambling is forbidden.
• Fanaticism is forbidden.
• Adherence to Ritual is condemned, with the notable exception of the obligatory prayers.
• Abstaining from Partisan (political) politics.

While some of the laws from the Kitáb-i-Aqdas are applicable at the present time and may be enforced to a degree by the administrative institutions, Bahá'u'lláh has provided for the progressive application of other laws that are dependent upon the existence of a predominantly Bahai society. The laws, when not in direct conflict with the civil laws of the country of residence, are binding on every Bahai, and the observance of personal laws, such as Prayer in the Bahai Faith or fasting, is the sole responsibility of the individual.

No camera is allowed in the temple hall as a click sound may disturb a silence prayer. All 4 of us, Vikas and Hari, the Hindus, Jimmy, the Buddhist and me, the Muslim was offering our own prayer inside in silent. It was a blissful day for all of us. Below photo was taken by my companion just to evidence my visit made in July 2009, without entering the temple.

On 10th July 2011, the discovery inside the temple was priceless. The water feature, the lush green garden, the visitors of different faith and religions and the calm, serene environment inside a prayer hall offering our own prayers (whether you are a Bahai, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindus, Buddhist, Jain, Sikhs etc etc) are not everyday discoveries. I wish to share those happiness and blissful feeling in below photo.

As you can see, I was able to touch the white marble lotus shape temple with my bare hand after 2 years. A latte at a coffee shop later that day with Tan Yoke Kuan, Jimmy and Hari tasted better than any latte that I had for the rest of my life.