110 கோடி மக்களைக் கொண்ட
இந்தியா உலகிலேயே அதிகமான மக்களைக் கொண்ட நாடுகளில்
இரண்டாவது நிலையை வகிக்கின்றது. சமய மரபுகள் நிறைந்த
நாடும் ஆகும் அது. இங்கு 80 விழுக்காடுகளுக்கும்
அதிகமானோர் இந்துக்களாவர். அடுத்த நிலையில் இஸ்லாமியர்,
கிருஸ்தவர், சீக்கியர், ஜைனர், பஹாய்கள், புத்தமதத்தினர்,
யூதர்கள் ஆகியோரும் இங்கு வாழுகின்றனர்.
இறைவனை
வழிபடுவதற்கு, எல்லா சமயங்களையும் சார்ந்தவர்களுக்காக
பஹாய் கோவில்கள் கட்டப்பட்டுள்ளன. உண்மையில் எல்லா
சமயங்களும் ஒரே கடவுளிடமிருந்து தோன்றி ஒரே தெய்வீக
மெய்ம்மையின் அடுத்தடுத்த அத்தியாயங்களைப்
பிரதிநிதிக்கின்றன
It is envisioned that in the future,
such Baha'i temples will be the center of a group of facilities,
including, for example, hospitals, educational and scientific
institutions, perhaps a home for the aged. (A few visitors have heard
this and promptly called to see if they could get on the list for such
a home. Shaheen Javid, the general manager of the House of Worship,
says he must tell them that it is a vision for the future but there are
no actual plans yet for the auxiliary institutions.)
Inside the temple
Inside the Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi, the main indoor space
is called the Prayer Hall and has seating for 1,300 people. On most
days, there are readings for five or six minutes each hour - from
Baha'i, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian holy writings.
Fariborz
Sahba - architect for the temple and also for the terraces on Mount
Carmel at the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel - recently presented
a paper titled "Faith and Form: Contemporary Space for Pilgrimage and
Worship" at a symposium at Yale University in the United States. Also
at the symposium were Tadao Ando, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Stanley
Tigerman, Rafael Moneo, and Richard Meier, all well-known designers of
spiritual structures.
Visitors are briefed before they enter, partly about what they will
not
see. There are no statues, no photographs of major Baha'i figures, no
altar, no representations of Hindu gods, of Buddha or of Jesus.
This fact disappoints some of the visitors. Seven-year-old Akhil
Rekulapelli, on holiday from the United States with his family, was a
bit perplexed. "I thought there would be gods there," he said.
The simplicity of the interior is striking, highlighting the beautiful
lines of the arches, the different textures of the materials, the
design and height of the dome. Millions of visitors have walked through
the building since it opened 21 years ago, but the temple still seems
fresh, unsullied. Some would say uplifting, spiritual.
Around the periphery, in simple lettering in both Hindi and English,
are quotations from the writings of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the
Baha'i Faith, about the nature of life and religion.
"Wert thou to speed through the immensity of space and traverse the
expanse of heaven, yet thou wouldst find no rest save in submission to
Our command and humbleness before Our Face," reads one of them. "Busy
not thyself with this world, for with fire We test the gold, and with
gold We test Our servants," says another.
The
Gurnani family, natives of India now living in New Jersey in the United
States, recently visited the House of Worship as part of their own
one-day tour of four New Delhi temples - Hindu, Sikh and Jain as well
as Baha'i.
Baha'is believe
that Baha'u'llah is the most recent in a line of Divine Messengers that
includes Krishna, Zoroaster, Buddha, Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, and the
Bab, all of whom came to teach the unfolding plan of God for humanity.
Visitors to the House of Worship are told that it is dedicated to the
oneness of God, the oneness of humanity, and the oneness of religion -
beliefs at the heart of the teachings of Baha'u'llah.
"The purpose of the Baha'i House of Worship is to remind the people
that we are one human family created by the one true God - we should
come to this place and forget our differences," said Mr. Jiwnani.
The lotus
Mr. Jiwnani thinks that most people do go away from the temple with a sense of the place and what it stands for.
"It ends up being a spiritual experience, although that is not why most
people come," he said. "People understand that the House of Worship
stands for respect for all the faiths."
In India, the
fact that the temple is shaped like a lotus flower is significant, he
noted, explaining that Asian religions - Hinduism, Buddhism,
Zoroastrian - all have special associations with the lotus flower.
The lotus represents purity, and since the flower is often found in
dirty and stagnant water, the symbolism of a pure human spirit rising
above the dross to its true station is especially meaningful, Mr.
Jiwnani said.
"The House of Worship is not designed
in any traditional religious architecture," he continued. "It has a
universal shape, so everyone feels welcome."
Fariborz
Sahba of Canada, the architect for the temple, said he chose the lotus
shape precisely because of its myriad spiritual connotations.
"The lotus represents the Manifestation of God, and is also a symbol of
purity and tenderness," he has said in published comments. "Its
significance is deeply rooted in the minds and hearts of the Indians."
Mr. Jiwnani said people sometimes ask about similarities between the
Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi and the Sydney Opera House in
Australia, which opened in 1973, some 14 years before the Baha'i
temple.
The concept of each building is different, he
said: The Baha'i temple was inspired by the shape of a lotus flower and
is round; the opera house is meant to suggest sails on a ship,
"billowing" in one direction. Construction methods also were different,
Mr. Jiwnani noted.
The temple and the Baha'is
India has more than a million Baha'is, the largest number of any
country in the world, but there is no question that the temple has
increased awareness of the religion, said A.K. Merchant, one of the
nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of
India.
"It has given us an identity," he said of the
House of Worship. "Now we need to teach what the inspiration behind the
building was."
Briefly
Day to day at the temple
The Baha'i House of Worship in India is open to the public every day except Monday. Holidays are popular times for visiting.
Entry is free of charge. The property is operated solely with funds
provided through the voluntary contributions of Baha'is around the
world.
Shaheen Javid, general manager of the temple,
said there are about 100 paid workers, some of whom are Baha'is or have
become Baha'is since working there.
There are also
about 40 Baha'i volunteers, virtually all of them young people who, at
their own expense, come for a few months to serve as guides or helpers.
Last year, volunteers came from about 70 countries. They stay on the
premises in a dormitory-like facility built for the purpose.
The Information Center
Visitors to the House of Worship may request a pamphlet explaining the
basic teachings and history of the Baha'i Faith, but otherwise - unless
they ask to go to the nearby Information Center - there is no
particular attempt to teach them about the religion.
"You come and experience the place, and if you have the curiosity, you
ask," said Shatrughun Jiwnani, the public relations director. "One of
the principles of the Baha'i Faith is the individual investigation of
truth. People have to find out for themselves."
The
Information Center provides extensive displays about Baha'i history,
teachings, and sacred writings, as well as information about social and
economic programs in various parts of the world. Films in both Hindi
and English are screened at regular intervals.
Visitors may fill out an optional card requesting more information or
asking how to join the Baha'i Faith. A number of visitors have asked to
take part in Baha'i study circles or sign up their sons and daughters
for children's classes or youth groups. Such gatherings are held in
many locations throughout New Delhi and India, including on Sundays at
the temple property itself.
The auditorium at the
Information Center is sometimes used for special events, including a
series called "One Ocean: Celebrating Unity Through the Arts." The
series offers performances of music and dance, often from other
countries and often sponsored by a foreign embassy or international
group.
Construction of the temple
The temple site was purchased in 1953 and covers 26 acres. Construction
on the House of Worship began in April 1980, and the temple opened to
the public on 1 January 1987. The cost of construction was about $10
million, with all funds coming from Baha'is in India and around the
world.
The architect was Fariborz Sahba of Canada, who was also the project manager for construction.
The temple has been the subject of hundreds of articles in publications
around the world, and has received the following honors:
- Award
for excellence in religious art and architecture from the International
Federation for Religious Art and Architecture. 1987.
- Award
for structural design from the Institute of Structural Engineers of the
United Kingdom. The citation honors Mr. Sahba "for producing a building
so emulating the beauty of a flower and so striking in its visual
impact." 1988.
- From the Illuminating Engineering
Society of North America, its international award for the excellence of
the temple's outdoor illumination. 1988.
- From the American Concrete Institute, award for a finely built concrete structure. 1990.
- From
GlobArt Academy of Vienna, Austria, GlobArt Academy 2000 award in
recognition of "the magnitude of the service of (this) Taj Mahal of the
20th century in promoting the unity and harmony of people of all
nations, religions and social strata, to an extent unsurpassed by any
other architectural monument worldwide." 2000.
Other Baha'i houses of worship
The Baha'i House of Worship in India is one of seven Baha'i temples in
the world. The others are located in Australia, Germany, Panama, Samoa,
Uganda, and the United States. Baha'is refer to the individual temples
as a Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, an Arabic term meaning the "dawning place of
the mention of God."
For general information about Baha'i houses of worship, including a photo gallery, go to
www.bahai.org/faq/community_life/temples.
