SSC
The Lotus Temple in New Delhi was designed by Fariborz Sahba, an architect originally from:
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Answer: Option D — Iran
Detailed Solution
The Lotus Temple, the Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi, was designed by Fariborz Sahba, an architect born in Iran (Persia) who later lived in Canada.
About the Lotus Temple:
- It is located at Bahapur, in the Kalkaji area of South Delhi.
- It was completed and dedicated in December 1986, and opened to the public on 1 January 1987.
- It is shaped like a lotus flower, with 27 free-standing marble-clad "petals" arranged in groups of three to form nine sides.
- The petals are covered with white marble from Mount Pentelikon in Greece, the same source used for many ancient Greek monuments.
- It is surrounded by nine pools of water, which look like the leaves of the lotus and help cool the building.
The main hall can seat about 2,500 people. There are no idols, images or pulpits inside.
People of all religions are welcome to enter, pray or meditate; the Baha'i faith teaches the unity of all religions and humanity.
It is one of the most visited buildings in the world, with millions of visitors every year.
It has won many architectural awards, and it uses solar power for part of its electricity needs.
Fariborz Sahba also designed the "Terraces" (Hanging Gardens) of the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel.
About the Baha'i faith:
- It was founded in Persia (Iran) in the 19th century by Baha'u'llah (1817-1892).
- Its world centre is in Haifa and Akka, Israel.
- A Baha'i House of Worship always has nine sides, because nine is the highest single-digit number and symbolises unity and completeness.
- There are Baha'i Houses of Worship on every continent, such as in Wilmette (USA), Sydney (Australia), Kampala (Uganda), Panama City, Apia (Samoa), Frankfurt (Germany) and Santiago (Chile).
Other famous lotus-shaped or modern religious buildings:
- Golden Temple, Amritsar: the holiest Sikh shrine.
- Sydney Opera House (Australia): designed by the Danish architect Jorn Utzon (not a temple, but often compared for its shell shapes).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Turkey is not where Fariborz Sahba was born.
- ✗Egypt is not linked to the Lotus Temple's architect.
- ✗Afghanistan is not linked to the Lotus Temple's architect.
Quick tip
Remember: Lotus Temple (Baha'i House of Worship), New Delhi = designed by Fariborz Sahba of Iran (opened 1986-87; 27 marble petals; 9 sides; Greek Pentelikon marble); Baha'i faith = founded in Persia by Baha'u'llah.
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.