9th Sep 2010-Day 3 in Delhi:
Having spent a couple of days recovering from Jet Lag we were eager to start visiting the many sites of Delhi. Given we are here for several weeks and the heat, we are going to spread out the sightseeing to balance with work and projects.
Pick up a tourist map of New Delhi and you will see that it is home to many buildings of faith and spiritual centers for the followers of Sai Baba, Chinmaya, Sri Aurobindo and many more. There are numerous denominations represented with extravagant temples, churches, mosques, shrines, spiritual and yoga centers in the city of New Delhi. It's time I get a good measure of all the faith and devotion present here in India!
Faith vs. Filth
But first! A question on my mind, which I will address in more detail another time, is given the devotion that is obviously present here in India, why is there total so much filth and disrespect for the earth. Despite efforts to clean up Delhi for the Commonwealth Games, the airborne pollution is still bad, especially noticeable in the evening is the smell of sulphur in some places. However, the pollution is not as bad as I remember from my last visit, and touch wood my Asthma has not flared up. And the street pollution is also ever present as are the red stains on the street from the spitting of ‘pan’. Despite the religious nature of India, the filth on the streets is the result of failure of religion and state to educate the importance of compassion for people and planet, even though this is a core part of the Vedic teachings, upon which the Hindu religion is based. More about this another time…
Putting aside the filth, and returning to faith, today we visited our first building of faith in Delhi and one of the most visited, the Baha’i Lotus Temple (now is that a metaphor or what? Given our minds are filled with so much trash, we have to work to find the faith.)
Baha’i Lotus Temple
We traveled to the East of downtown Delhi to visit the unmistakable and unmissable Lotus Temple set in a lush landscape. It reminds me of something out of a sci-fi film, majestic, cosmic, yet divine in its creation. The temple is built in the shape of a lotus flower and is the last of 7 major Baha’i temples built around the world, one on each continent.
The major religion of Hinduism has been symbolized by the Lotus flower design, representing higher consciousness. The architect Fariburz Sabha chose the lotus as a symbol common to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam. People from any and every faith a welcome to visit the temple, to pray and meditate in the great meditation hall in the main structure. The building is made from white concrete covered in Greek marble. Around the 9 sided building are 9 pools that seem to glow blue during the day, and they look spectacular at dusk when flood lit. They also serve as a cooling system for the grand structure.
The common characteristic of all the Baha’i Houses of Worship is that they are 9 sided. In the Baha’i faith 9 is the highest digit and symbolizes comprehensiveness, oneness, and unity.
The Baha’i Faith
The Baha’i Faith is an independent world religion, believed by Baha’i followers to be divine in origin, all embracing in scope, broad in its outlook, scientific in its method, humanitarian in its principles and dynamic in the influence it exerts on the hearts and minds of men. It upholds the unity of god, recognizes the unity of his prophets and incorporates the principles of oneness and wholeness of the entire human race.
For more information: http://www.bahaindia.org
One building of Faith down, a gazillion to go!
-Beejal Parmar