Visit to the lotus temple: Introduction to the Bahá'í Faith

Very often when we discuss religion and culture, we do so of the majority ones. It maybe Christianity or Islam or Hinduism for example. My guess is that these religions have such strong presence that it is hard for one to look past them to dwell into others. For various reasons, #India has been a cultural melting pot of religious ideologies and has given rise to at least four Major world religions.


In this essay, I will introduce you;

My Dear Steemians

To one of the "minor" religion and its architectural marvel The Lotus Temple.

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Bahá'í Faith

Born and Established in Iran in 1863 by bahá'u'lláh; This religion is probably the youngest religion in existence. The religion distills the essential worth of all reigions and instills the sense of unity and equality of all people. It is rise, was initially opposed and persecuted especially in Iran. This was due to the inconsistencies of Bahá'í teachings with traditional islamic faith. Bahá'ís are seen as apostates of islam and according to some islamists, must choose between life and death. The complex legal and political contexts of their persecution is well documented in this wikipedia page.

The teachings of Bahá'í are inclusive of statements about god , his messengers, and humans. The teachings also extoll equality amongst humans regardless of gender, race and class. Ask for the harmony of science and religion and the elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty. In my opinion, the tachings are well placed and is exact for the times we are living in.

The overarching set of principles.

• The oneness of God.
• The oneness of humanity.
• The oneness of religion.
• Religion as a school : Progressive revelation
• Social Principles:
  • Equality of women and men.
  • Harmony of religion and science.
  • Universal compulsory education.
  • Universal auxiliary language
  • Independent investigation of truth.
  • Elimination of wealth and poverty.

Source: Wikipedia

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The Lotus Temple

Located in Delhi, India this Bahá'í house of worship serves as a mother temple in the Indian subcontinent. A prominent attraction of the city this iconic building is shaped like a lotus flower blossoming in a pond. Designed and executed by Fariborz Sahba; It is a unique building inspired by nature and incorporating core religious stipulations of the architecture suggested by `Abdu'l-Bahá.

The Lotus temple: An iconic symbol of unity.

I had visited on a rather pleasant day in July. The whole experience was eye-opening; I witnessed the magnificent architecture of the building and was humbled by the core concepts of what it stood for. In my opinion, the absence of a set pattern of worship, preaching and doctrines liberates the mind and allows for true association with self. It was like I belonged there, for a while I forgot every other complexity in life I was facing.

It is a center for religious tolerance: People of any religion, sex or other distinctions are welcome

Visitors often flock to visit this marvel. The building has 27 free-standing marble-clad "petals" arranged in clusters to form the nine sides. Each side has an entrance into the main central hall; the central hall towers over 40 meters and has a capacity of 2,500 people. Source: Wikipedia.

Oneness: Bahá'í views that God is one and the same being. And humanity should strive to achieve the attributes and qualities perceived to us as one of the god's.

One of the key teachings in Bahá'í faith The oneness of humanity has struck a deep chord in me. Bahá'í writings ask for a political, spiritual and biological unity of mankind. In my opinion, If we try to achieve this several of the polarizing 'problems' would have a solution.

Ye are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship. Source: Wikipedia

Humanity: A transcendent quality; We all should strive and achieve.

My visit to this architectural marvel was one of discovery. I discovered teachings of a new religion, Their thoughts on unity and the world. It put my beliefs in question. It gave me a chance to appreciate the marvels that the world still has. The visit gave me a sense of awe, satisfaction and curiosity; an eclectic mix. Of the "monuments" I have been to, this was the most reflective, It was beautifully simple and elegant. I tried to use my photography to reflect the same. It was a beautiful expression by the architect to showcase the religion itself, in my opinion.

I hope you are inspired by these sets of images.

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I would like to thank members of the #Culturevulturescommunity for their amazing support.

To the fellow #photography community on steemit @ladybug146 @velimir @ablckbrd @ackhoo @brumest @davidstrohmer @jamtaylor @mweich and many others for your amazing visual content. Thank you, folks!

The usual pops and shout-outs to @sweetsssj @timsaid @deanliu@slowwalker for their amazing posts from all around the world.

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!steemitworldmap 28.553633 lat 77.258869 long Lotus Temple d3scr
@originalworks

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