The Bahai faith is one of the world’s newest religions. An outgrowth of the major monotheistic religions of the Middle East, it recognizes that there is one God, and that this same God is manifested in all  other faiths. It was founded in 1844 in what is now Iran by Siyyid Ali-Muhammd, later known as the Bab, or the Gate. Early members of the faith were heavily persecuted in the Persian and Ottoman empires. Bab himself was publicly executed. The followers then turned to Bha’u’llah, who had become a follower of the Báb at the age of 27.

Born as Mirza Husayn –Ali in Tehran, Bha’u’llah,was reluctant to enjoy the advantages of his noble birth. Instead, he declared his wholehearted faith in Bab. In 1848 a meeting of the Bab followers that happened in his village literally fanned the fire. He was actively participated in all later proceedings and played a pivotal role in attaining the status of an independent world religion. He too suffered a life of imprisonment and banishment ... More

The Bahai faith is one of the world’s newest religions. An outgrowth of the major monotheistic religions of the Middle East, it recognizes that there is one God, and that this same God is manifested in all  other faiths. It was founded in 1844 in what is now Iran by Siyyid Ali-Muhammd, later known as the Bab, or the Gate. Early members of the faith were heavily persecuted in the Persian and Ottoman empires. Bab himself was publicly executed. The followers then turned to Bha’u’llah, who had become a follower of the Báb at the age of 27.

Born as Mirza Husayn –Ali in Tehran, Bha’u’llah,was reluctant to enjoy the advantages of his noble birth. Instead, he declared his wholehearted faith in Bab. In 1848 a meeting of the Bab followers that happened in his village literally fanned the fire. He was actively participated in all later proceedings and played a pivotal role in attaining the status of an independent world religion. He too suffered a life of imprisonment and banishment until his passing in 1892 in his 75th year, in the prison city of 'Akká. He went through all this to give mankind teachings of world unity and the abandonment of prejudice of all kinds. He proclaimed His mission was to establish a new world order. To protect the Bahá'í community from sectarianism, Bahá'u'lláh, in His will, appointed His eldest son, Abdu'l-Bahá to be the leader of the Bahá'í community and to be the sole interpreter of the Bahá'í Writings.

During the 20th century, the Bahai religion began to spread beyond the Middle East. One of the first places it was established was in India. Thanks to its proximity to Persia, as well as to its religious diversity, India was one of the few places in Asia where Bahai could safely and strongly take roots. By the early 1900s communities were established in several major cities.

The community here was represented at the first Bahai world assembly in 1923.  During the British colonial era, the growth was more or less stymied. Things picked up significantly in the 1960s, and within a decade India boasted the world’s largest Bahai community, a distinction that remains to this day.

In the 1980s, the capital city of Delhi was chosen as the site of a full-fledged Bahai House of Worship, the first of its kind in Asia. The building was completed in 1986, and it was an overnight success both with members of the Bahai community as well as locals and tourists. Today it serves as the mother temple of the faith for all of Southeast Asia.

The India Bahai House of Worship joins seven other Bahai Houses of Worship around the world: Apia, Western Samoa; Sydney, Australia; Kampala, Uganda; Panama City, Panama; Frankfurt, Germany; Wilmette, USA; Santiago, Chile. A remarkable dedication by the Bahai World to the entire humanity, this temple promotes unity through free participation in acts of worship and service in a serene atmosphere without any rituals or ceremonies.

Today Bahá'u'lláh's teachings have spread in over 230 countries, islands and dependencies in the world. This worldwide community of Bahá'ís is striving on a daily basis to put His teachings into practice and to bring about world peace and unity.