The Lotus Temple in Delhi

The Lotus Temple stands 40.8 metres high above the main entrance level.

The Lotus Temple is a Baháʼí House of Worship with distinctive architecture.

The temple's design is based on the form of a lotus flower.

Nine pools surround the building to represent lotus leaves.

Construction ran from 1980 until contractors recorded completion in 1986.

The temple was dedicated on 24 December 1986.

The central hall seats 1,300 people for readings and recitations.

White Pentelic marble from Greece clads the outer surfaces.

The interior dome rises 28 metres above the central hall floor.

Vents at basement level draw cool air upward through the building.

A separate visitor centre with an auditorium opened in 2003.

The Lotus Temple received over 100 million visitors by 2014.

The 27 free-standing petals form a half-open lotus shape.