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 Bahá'í Houses of Worship are open to all peoples. Although their architectural styles differ widely, the nine sides and central dome common to all of them symbolize at once the diversity of the human race and its essential oneness. Devotional programs are simple, consisting of prayers, meditations, and the reading of selections from the sacred scriptures of the Bahá'í Faith and other world religions. Music is provided by unaccompanied choirs. |
| "The Lotus Temple was begun in 1980
and dedicated in 1986, designed by architect Fariburz
Sahba, who is currently in charge of the work on the Arc
project on Mt.Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Mr.Sahba chose the
lotus design due to its incredible religious significance
throughout India and much of the rest of Asia. The lotus
flower is a motif in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and
even Islam and Zoroastrianism. Mr.Sahba did extensive
research and travel through India before deciding on a
design,. Its construction is especially noteworthy, because it utilizes a continuous concrete pouring process for the thin petals of the flowers, which are structurally stable by themselves, without any additional support. In addition, the temple is clad in panels of imported Italian marble, each panel being a different size and shape due to the curves of the temple. This necessitated the use of computers in designing the paneling, but the rest of the construction work was done by manual labor. During construction, there was even a village set up for the builders and their families, as well as a school for the children. What's interesting about the site is that around it are several ancient Hindu temples, and site itself is the location of a now-ruined town once called "Bahapur," which means "city of Baha" - obviously a somewhat striking name from a Baha'i perspective. But we are not to attach any significance to that fact. To learn more about this phenomenal structure, click the link below." |
