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Baha'i Houses of Worship

arthra

arthra

Baha'i
There are relatively few Baha'i Houses of Worship in the world today and they are spaced about the world on continents mostly ... They also share certain characteristics such as nine openings or gates and usually a dome with what we the "Greatest Name". Anyone can enter a Baha'i House of Worship and pray. There are no restricted areas or altars ... and no rituals or clerical figures conducting rites. So in this thread we'll discuss some of the characteristics and history of these structures.

In the vision of Abdul-Baha there are also ancillary institutions that ideally are to surround the House of Worship:

"The Temple is the most great foundation of the world of humanity and it hath many branches. Although the Temple is the place of worship, with it is connected a hospital, pharmacy, pilgrims' house, school for the orphans, and a university for the study of high sciences. Every Temple is connected with these five things. I hope that now in America they will build a Temple and gradually add to it the hospital, school, university, pharmacy and pilgrims' house with the utmost efficiency and thoroughness. Thou shouldst make known to the believers these details, so that they may realize how important the Temple is. The Temple is not only a place for worship; nay, it is perfect in every way."

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith p. 416
 
arthra

arthra

Baha'i
The first Baha'i House of Worship was built in Ishqabad in what today is called Turkministan and it was formerly part of the Russian Empire near the border with Persia... The Temple in Ishqabad has a fascinating history... Initially it began to function and was a respecvted cnter of the community...however after the Russian revolution and the anti-religious sentiments of the Communist Party began to be expressed it was steadily attacked and seized by the state... Eventually it was leased back to the Baha'is for their use..Later it was a gallery and eventually it was destroyed in an earthquake. The worst oppression of the Communist state under Stalin exiled some Baha'is to Siberia and some were returned to Iran. Read the details:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahá'í_Faith_in_Turkmenistan

A computerized picture of the Temple follows:

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arthra

arthra

Baha'i

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arthra

arthra

Baha'i
The Baha'i House of Worship in Frankfurt has it's own story!

Since 1964, a house of worship for people of all faiths and worldviews has been located in Hofheim-Langenhain. Here, a dome with 570 rhombic windows rises up in the middle of a maintained park with myriad roses.


The building, which has been included among the Hessen cultural monuments since 1987, is embedded in the landscape of front Taunus. From here, you can see northern Frankfurt, the Feldberg and even Mainz on a clear day. Exterior walls made almost completely of glass, nine entryways and unique construction allude architectonically to the openness of the latest world religion.


You will find more information at: www.bahai.de

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arthra

arthra

Baha'i
One of the existing Bahá'í Houses of Worship in the world is built on hills above Apia, the capital city of Samoa.

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The story of the Samoan House of Worship begins in April of 1974 when the world governing body of the Baha''i' Faith called for the construction of a House of Worship in what was then Western Samoa. It was the first to be built in its area of the world – the Mother Temple of the Pacific Islands.

In November of 1975 the area of Tiapapata in the cool mountain heights of Upolu Island was chosen as the spot for the House of Worship. The original temple site was only about half of its present size, and lacked direct access to the main road. Only later was the land purchased where the majority of the gardens now lie.

Read more at

http://www.bahaitemplesamoa.org/History.htm
 
arthra

arthra

Baha'i
The Baha'i House of Worship in Cambodia is one of the first approved local House of Worship and is a "work in progress"...

The Baha'i World News Service recently released the following article about the House of Worship in Cambodia:

BATTAMBANG, Cambodia, 16 September 2016 — It has been eight months since construction work started on the local Baha'i House of Worship in Battambang.

Since the groundbreaking in November of last year and the completion of the earthworks in March, access roads have been built, ponds have been dug, and foundations laid. Construction of the central edifice has also begun and is well underway. Its design was unveiled on 17 July 2015.

New video footage, showing progress of the construction process as well as a tree-planting project, is available news.bahai.org/story/1120.

Parallel to the construction work have been a growing number of activities that are contributing to the spiritual and material progress of communities in and around Battambang. Inspired by the House of Worship, activities have multiplied and a spirit of prayer and devotion has increasingly permeated the area.

While building has progressed apace, participation of local inhabitants volunteering on the Temple land has demonstrated how the development of the House of Worship is a collective enterprise. Scores of adults, youth, and children have offered time and energy to contribute to projects on the Temple land.

Most recently, on Monday 12 September, over 150 gathered for a tree-planting day.

"It was a perfect day for the project," said Daravuth Keo, a representative of the Baha'i community in Cambodia. "The soil was wet and ready for the plants. We started with prayers. Then we discussed the purpose and significance of the project. People formed into different teams. Some were designated to plant the trees, some to work in the nursery, and others to carry out various tasks."

Orange, avocado, papaya, lemon, and coconut trees were transplanted together with weeping willows, flame of the forest, chicken tail, foxtail, and yellow flower trees. Some 150 trees were planted that day alone.

Young people have played an especially important part in the rising sense of community solidarity and the flowering of service endeavors in Battambang.

"At the tree planting event, we talked with a large group of youth together, and they shared their reflections," explained Mr. Daravuth. "Many youth shared the idea that the community activities have provided them with a framework for service to society, helped build their capacity to provide moral education to children and younger youth, and taught them to build knowledge with others for the betterment of the world.

"Some commented that this has helped them to stay away from drugs, to focus their energies on building unity, developing community, and walking with others on a path of service."

The House of Worship in Battambang is expected to be completed by late 2017. It is one of five localities that were designated by the Universal House of Justice in 2012 to have a local Baha'i House of Worship.


To read the article online, view a slideshow of photographs and access links:
http://news.bahai.org/story/1120



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arthra

arthra

Baha'i
The Baha'i House of Worship in Panama was completed and was dedicated in 1972. My wife attended the dedication of the Temple. Here is a good view:

tpanam%7E06m%7Epanama.jpg


There are several schools established by Baha'is around Panama. See:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahá'í_Faith_in_Panama

Education is highly valued and one of the main institutions that ideally should be available to everyone... In Panama the Baha'is have offered services to the Guaymi and Cuna Indians.
 
arthra

arthra

Baha'i

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"The Baha’i House of Worship in New Delhi is the Mother Temple of Baha’i faith in the Indian subcontinent. It is an edifice eminently and elegantly distinctive in its design, and uniquely inspirational in its purpose: to represent the Oneness of God, the Oneness of all Religions, and the Oneness of Mankind, the guiding tenets of Baha’i faith.

"Expressionist in style and spectacular in its architectural and structural and ingenuity, the House of Worship takes its inspiration from the exquisite lotus flower - a symbol of beauty, purity and divinity intimately associated with worship and a common strand running through the symbolism of many religions in India as well as their international sects and manifestations...."

Source:

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5921/

Take a 3D tour:

http://www.p4panorama.com/panos/lotustemple/index.html
 
arthra

arthra

Baha'i
The latest Baha'i House of Worship is in Santiago Chile and will be dedicated soon on October 13th - 16th 2016!

http://templo.bahai.cl/

Inauguración
Para celebrar la apertura de la Casa de Adoración Bahá’í para Sudamérica, se realizará una serie de eventos en el mes de octubre 2016, en los cuales se contempla la participación de más de 5.000 bahá’ís y amigos provenientes de todo el mundo, especialmente de la región de Sudamérica.

The main dedication event will be held from 13–16 October, 2016

Recent photo of the work done at the Chilean Temple:

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arthra

arthra

Baha'i
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The Baha'i House of Worship in Kampala, Uganda:

The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar is situated on 8.5 hectares (21.5 acres) of land on Kikaya Hill on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda. The architect of the building, Charles Mason Remey, worked closely with Shoghi Effendi in developing the design. The architectural firm of Cobb, Powell, and Freeman which designed the Bulange, the administrative center of the former kingdom of Buganda and one of Kampala's most important buildings adapted the design to local conditions and oversaw construction. Work on the foundations began in October 1957, a month before Shoghi Effendi's death.

The foundation stone was laid on 26 January 1958 as part of an intercontinental conference Shoghi Effendi had called. About one thousand Baha'is gathered for the ceremony in which Shoghi Effendi's widow,Hand of the Cause of God Ruhiyyih Rabbani, and Musa Banani, the first Hand of the Cause of God in Africa, participated.

During the construction period, engineering problems affecting the foundations and the dome had to be overcome. Three years later, on 14 and 15 January 1961, the building was dedicated by Ruhiyyih Rabbani. The inaugural service on Sunday, 15 January, brought to the Temple about one thousand five hundred people, approximately two-thirds of whom were not Baha'is.

http://www.bahai.ug/thebahaihouseofworship.html
 
arthra

arthra

Baha'i
The Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi known as the "Lotus Temple" is one of the first public sites in New Delhi to use solar power...

"The temple, which utilises around 500 kilowatt of power in total, generates 120 KW on its own. Besides, it is the first major public site in Delhi to have installed a “net metre”. This has made the temple the first in the city to be a part of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (DERC) “Net Metering” regulations...."

http://ohindore.com/indore-latest/bahai-house-of-worship-lotus-temple-is-on-solar-energy-now/
 
E

Electriceclectic

Member
arthra said:
The Sydney Baha'i Temple is one of seven in the world. Since it opened in September 1961, the Baha’i House of Worship at 173 Mona Vale Road, Ingleside, has been a spectacular beacon from land, sea and air, its shining white dome rising above the surrounding bushland. Watch the video:

Click to expand...

I worked there for a while and also was able to hear the ' architectural audio effects ' , phenomenal ! Especially the emotive chanting of the Persians in Farsi ( swoon ! ) ..... a practice unfortunately stopped, last time I visited some years back .

Due to the seating arrangements, one seat is dead centre of the temple, a circular section of the floor that the 9 directions meet up, about as a big as one chair space, and directly under the circular section of the roof where the roof 9 sections meet where the 'Holy Name' is written.

The chanting spirals up to the roof is reflected off the upper plate and comes back down around you if you are sitting there, and goes outwards, out through the 9 directions and doors, out into the world .

:)

sydney_bahai_temple_by_places_of_worship.jpg
 
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