The Lotus Temple is a Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi, India, that was consecrated in December 1986. It became a popular tourist attraction in the city due to its flower-like design. The Lotus Temple, like other Houses of Worship, is available to everyone, regardless of religion or other qualifications. A Bahá'í temple, according to Shoghi Effendi, is a "silent teacher" of the Bahá'í faith. The structure is made up of 27 free-standing marble-clad "petals" placed in three-sided clusters to form nine sides, with nine doorways leading to a central hall with a height of little more than 34 meters and a seating capacity of 2,500 people. The Lotus Temple has been featured in countless newspaper and magazine publications and has won multiple architectural honors.
The temple was consecrated on the 23rd and 27th of December 1986, in the presence of 8,000 Bahá'ís from 107 nations, including 4,000 Bahá'í from 22 Indian districts. The temple was originally available to the public on January 1st, and over 10,000 individuals came that day.
According to India's permanent mission to UNESCO, the Lotus Temple has had over 100 million visits by April 2014.
