Lotus Temple belongs to the Common Era — dated here to c. 1986 CE at New Delhi, India. Dates mark a scholarly centre of gravity (dedication, completion, or iconic phase), not a single foundation day.
A Baháʼí house of worship as a marble lotus — nine petals of prayer open to all faiths.
How it amazes the brain
Fariborz Sahba’s concrete shells clad in white marble, pure geometry without icons.
Why it counts as a wonder
It never needed a contest ballot to scramble the brain: scale, craft, or sheer improbability is enough.
One of India’s most visited buildings — silence as design program.
On dating
CE means years after the traditional birth of Christ. A monument listed as c. 1986 CE may have been founded earlier, rebuilt later, or become famous only in one phase. Engineering wonders (dams, tunnels, orbiting labs) are dated to opening or assembly.
This is story 88 of 100 in The Trend Ledger’s illustrated desk on world wonders raised after the birth of Christ — the companions to our BCE series.