Zaha Hadid once said’I don’t think that architecture is only about shelter, is only about a very simpme enclosure. It should be able to excite you, to calm you, to made you think’. Great architecture associated with culture, religion, kingdom and great rulers had been a part of our country since very long. Before a few decades, irrespective of all diatinctions named above, a very beautiful architceture had been made in our country which is praised through all over the world. This beautiful creation is Lotus Temple in the National Capital of India.
The Lotus Temple is located in New Delhi, India and it is a House of worship type of construction. It’s construction is completed in in 1986. It is natable due to its shape of flower Lotus, our national flower. After completion, it has been served as Mother Temple of Indian Subcontinent. This architecture haa won numerous awards in the field of architecture. The main architect o fthis temple was Fariborz Sahba and the structural engineers were Flint and Neill. The Lotus Temple has a height of 34.27 mts.& its diameter is 70 mts. Which shows that it has dimensions of very large capacity. Consequently, it has a very large seating capacity of 1300. This temple has a structural system made from concrete frame & precast concrete ribbed roof. This building is composed of 27 freestanding marble-clad ’petals’ arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides with nine doors opening onto a central hall with height of slightly over 40 mts and a capacity of 2500 people. This temple ia open to all, irrespective of religion, or any other distinction. According to 2001 CNN it is the most visited building in the world. Along with its nine surrouding ponds and gardens the Lotus Temple property comprises of 26 acres. The site of the temple is in the village of Bahapur, in the Natinal Capital Territory of Delhi. The financial amount needed to buy this land was donated by Ardishir Rustampur of Hyderabad, Sindh who gave his entire life savings for this purpose in1953. The construction company who build the ECC construction group of Larsen & Tourbo Limited. A portion of the construction budget was saved & used to build a greenhouse to study indigenous plants & flowers that would be appropriate for use on the site.
In a nutshell, it is one of the greatest architecture that had been made all over the year till now like Taj Mahal, Jama Masjid, Golden Temple, etc. Enhanced tourism, blinking beauty of the city and multiplication of praise and proud to the nation due to Lotus Temple lead the architecture from a handsome direction. If possible for any one, one must visit to the temple and personally observe he beauty & get sinked into the latest architectural beauty of the century gone just before.
Thank You.