Starting My Weekend Off with a Lotus

I decided earlier this week that it was due time to get my act together, and begin to check some items off of my India To-Do List.  So, Amrit and I began our weekend by visiting the Baha’i House of Worship, or Lotus Temple, on Friday evening.

We were a little apprehensive as we left the house, because we could hear thunder rumbling in the distance, and knew that it had been raining in areas of East Delhi.  The rain gods decided to be kind to us, though.  The showers lasted long enough to make for a cool, pleasant evening, but stopped before we reached the temple, so we that we were able to roam around without sopping wet clothes and shoes.  Even the traffic seemed to be cooperating, which is a wonder given that we were traveling during the Friday evening homeward commute.

We reached the temple twenty minutes before the interior closed, which was great timing.  The crowds had dispersed by then, but we still were able to go inside to meditate and say a prayer (though our guide did ask, with a smile, that we pray quickly so that they could close on time.)  We also had the pleasure of watching the evening sky change colors – which reflected beautifully on the white marble of the lotus petals – from light blue, to dusky pink, to inky black,  and got to see the temple as it’s fully lit after the sun has set.  It was the ideal time to visit the temple, and made for a great start to our weekend.

The Lotus Temple as we approached from the road (notice the lingering raindrops on our car window.)

The main path towards the temple.

One of the nine pools over which the lotus is situated.

The sun begins to set…

Reflecting beautifully on the white marble petals

The surrounding gardens at dusk

The temple becomes illuminated…

And the sky continues to fade to black

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