Hotels near Lotus Temple

The Lotus Temple opened in 1986 as the Bahai House of Worship for the Indian subcontinent, designed by Iranian architect Fariborz Sahba. Twenty-seven petals clad in Greek Pentelic marble fold into nine sides, each with its own entrance, around a central hall seating 2,500. Nine surrounding pools cool the structure and mirror the shell. Visitor numbers have passed 100 million, which puts it among the most-visited buildings on earth.

There is no altar, no idol and no clergy. The hall exists for silent meditation and the staff enforce that silence firmly. Readings from any scripture are permitted; sermons are not. Entry is free. Shoes come off before the steps and photography inside the hall is prohibited. The weekend queue can run 45 minutes. Closed on Mondays. Twenty minutes inside is enough, and the gardens deserve another twenty.

Pro Tip: Turn up at 9 am on a weekday and the queue is five minutes instead of 45. Walk the outer garden path anticlockwise afterwards for the cleanest sightline onto all nine petal groups without other visitors in the frame.