Interestingly, this 126 acres plot is named ‘Bahapur’ and it was allotted by Delhi Development Authority at the time of Nehru to the Baha’is for the construction of a ‘temple.’ This plot remained as such till 1978.

When Janata Party came to power, Israeli General Mr Moshe Dayan held a secret meeting with the then prime minister Morarji Desai and immediately after this meeting, the work of constructing a place of worship for the Baha’is was started on the plot sometime in July-August 1979.

Approximately 1200 workers toiled day and night to build the temple. In 1980 when the Janata government was voted out of power, the construction was stopped for about eight months till 1981. But after 1981 work resumed in full swing albeit shrouded in secrecy so much that even the residents of Delhi came to know of it only after its completion.

This construction work of this temple continued for three years on a plot of 126 acres costing about 30 million INR. All this was carried out so secretly that nobody was aware of it.

The sum was pretty high in the 1960s but not surprising the least as it was on a prime location. It was primarily because of this reason that this place was purchased quickly and quietly by the Baha’is.

The Lotus Temple is perhaps one of the most extravagantly constructed places of worship in the world. Till today billions have been on its upkeep.

The temple was completed on 24th December 1986 and opened to the public on same day.

In spite of the stringent import rules in India at that time the Baha’is managed to cheat the government and imported costly marble stone for the construction of temple from Greece by declaring by under invoicing the import bill. These stones were carved with the aid of a computer in Italy and then shipped to India.

In 1981 when the construction resumed, the people residing in the vicinity were told that the government was ‘building a stadium for the forthcoming Delhi Asian Games in 1982.

Nobody had a clue that this structure situated in such a vast expanse of land could be a place of worship. Baha’i propaganda machinery works overtime to project this temple as a tourist place so that people of all faiths are tricked into visiting this building. The temple is thus used extensively for converting simple minded poor Indians who visit the place thinking it is a tourist place.

It is the nerve centre of all its activities and a decade ago one of its members was booked for espionage as he attempted to send classified documents to his handlers in Israel.

Last heard, the expensive marble imported from Greece was turning yellow due to pollution thus pouring water over Baha’is’ efforts to get it declared as one of the wonders of the world.

https://thebahaitruth.com