Lotus Temple

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Today I went to the Lotus Temple, it's also called the Baha'i House of Worship. It is a beautiful place. The actual temple is in the shape of the lotus flower and is covered in white marble. I was surprised to find out that more people visit the Lotus Temple than the Taj Mahal. Granted the Taj Mahal is much further away, but I was still surprised.

It was a bit hectic, the paths were roped off and you had to follow the crowd instead of wandering the grounds. So I was a little disappointed by that. Since it is a holy place you must remove your shoes before entering the temple. So after taking your shoes off you place them in a bag and check your shoes. Then you follow the rest of the people around the temple to a side entrance and wait in line. Upon entering the temple you are instructed not to take pictures and to remain silent.

The interior is very simple, there are seats made of wood and marble and a podium. It's very open and the interior mirrors the exterior lotus design. So you almost feel like you are inside a lotus flower, which was very nice. Because of the design and all of the marble it was a giant echo chamber, I would have loved to hear music playing.

One thing that surprised me was the lack of beggars and people trying to sell you junk. That was actually quite nice, since you are constantly bombarded by people wanting money. I went to the India Gate today with a school mate and we only walked a few meters before a lady took my hand and started to draw a henna tattoo on me and then wanted Rp100 (it equivalent to $2). She did a nice job and I wanted to have a henna tattoo done before I left India, but I would like to be asked ahead of time. It's done now.

Tomorrow I take my second exam and I'm just a little nervous about it.

I have decided that the India Gate is a wonderful place to people watch and I think I will come back again just to take pictures of all the people that visit.

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Photos

Waiting to enter
Surprisingly the line moves pretty quickly.

Comments

[Jen]

The Building
What a lovely temple! Kind of reminds me of the building you used to manage at college.... ha ha . Just kidding. Oral should have visited India for inspiration before he built the university, then it would look wierd-nice instead of "what in the world was the architect thinking here." It must be intoxicating to visit such beautiful places and to be surrounded by so many people. It looks like there are crowds everywhere. How many people live in the city where you are staying?

[gypsygirl762]

LMAO! Jen you are so right about that! Unfortunately I think I'm beginning to hit that point where the newness has worn off....I've got my sari so it's time to go home...