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The Bahai Temple in New Delhi and the Sydney Opera House in Australia are among the most magnificent buildings of the world, says
Antony Kuriakose
There will be many contentions as to who has built the most beautiful buildings of the modern age. But there is no doubt that two edifices, the Sydney Opera House in Australia and the Bahai Temple in New Delhi would be high in the list. Both are comparable buildings, both are made of marble and to the uninitiated there appears a remarkable similarity in the structures. But the similarity ends there. For the Sydney Opera House is the expression of Australia’s exuberant culture, the Bahai Temple in New Delhi is the very epitome of India’s philosophic approach to life. As one writer says, like an overlapping series of giant billowing sails, the roof of the harbour side Sydney Opera House seems, as if, it could lift the building to the open seas. The Bahai Temple built as a huge marble lotus looks like hands clasped in eternal prayer. The Sydney Opera House was opened in 1973 and has been praised by architects, tourists and laymen alike. Danish architect Jorn Utson’s vision of a "grand synthesis" of geometirc shapes blending with its environment became one of the most symbolic visions of Australia. Travel writer Rohan Sullivan states that the Time magazine has named it in 1998 as one of the five outstanding examples of architecture in this century "a union of unique structure and breathtaking location". The International Dictionary of Architects and Architecture calls it "a sensuous welcome to anyone entering the city by sea" giving Sydney its visual focus. The project was planned in 1955 to design Australia’s National Opera house. But the initial plans did not win approval and the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright scoffed at the plans as "the Circus Tent". But Utzon persisted and the construction was begun in 1957 at the place called Bennelong Point, in honour of the aborigine named Bennelong, who had be-friended Arthur Philip, the first Governor of New South Wales State. The original cost was to be $4.2 million(US), but when it was completed in 1973 the cost had billowed to 15 times the amount at $60 million US. Compared to this "Billowing Tent", India’s Bahai temple in Delhi known more popularly as the Kamal Mandir is very sedate. The Bahai faith is an independent world religion that began in 1844. Bahaiullah (The Glory of God) is the author of this newest chapter of world religions. The Bahai faith came to India in 1872 and there are Bahais in 35,000 localities in India and there are some 10,000 Bahai spiritual assemblies throughout the sub-continent. In the early 1950s, it was decided by the Bahai faith to build a magnificent House of Worship in India, a part of seven grand edifices girdling the earth, namely in Panama city in Central America, in Kampala in Uganda, in Illinois in USA, in Frankfurt in Germany, in Sydney in Australia and in the island of Apia in Western Samoas in the Pacific Ocean. Nearly 27 acres were acquired near Delhi in 1953, although the construction began only in April 1980 to be completed six years later. It was decided to make the House of Worship symbolic of the country, where it was built. The architect Fariborz Sahba designed the temple in the form of a Lotus as this flower has an association with almost all the main indigenous faiths in India and is considered to be a universal religious symbol. The edifice was built by voluntary contributions received from India’s Bahai community as well as Bahais around the world. The complex consists of the main House of Worship and an ancillary block which houses the reception centre, library, audio visual rooms and administrative offices. Around the House of Worship are walkways with beautiful curved balustrades, bridges and stairs. Nine pools, representing the floating green leaves of the lotus surround the central office. The petals of lotus are made of white concrete and the exterior of all 45 petals are clad with white marble panels. The 220-diameter temple towers to a height of 110 feet and has a central auditorium with seating capacity for 1,300 persons. Situated nearly 10,000 km apart, these two edifices are verily the Taj Mahals of the modern age. — MF
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