The spread of the Bahai faith in India began when Baha'u'llah, encouraged some of his followers to go to India. Some who came to India were Haji Sayyid Mirza and Sayyid Muhammad. Haji Sayyid Muhammad settled down in Bombay and became a successful general merchant and commission agent. Around 1875 a Bahai teacher, Jamal Effendi, was sent to India. Mirza Ibrahim, helped to establish the first Bahai printing and publishing company, the Nasiri Press, in Bombay and began to publish Bahai books from about 1882-83 onwards. Books such as The Book of Certitude and the Secret of Divine Civilization were published in 1882. Following the passing of Baha'u'llah, the leadership of the religion fell to Abdul-Baha, who also sent further emissaries to India. All these efforts slowly produced results and led to the first conversion of Indians to the Bahai faith. 

The first person to convert was Professor Pritam Singh, who belonged to the Sikh community. He began the publication of a Bahai weekly magazine in India. Narayenrao Rangnath Shethji was the ... More

The spread of the Bahai faith in India began when Baha'u'llah, encouraged some of his followers to go to India. Some who came to India were Haji Sayyid Mirza and Sayyid Muhammad. Haji Sayyid Muhammad settled down in Bombay and became a successful general merchant and commission agent. Around 1875 a Bahai teacher, Jamal Effendi, was sent to India. Mirza Ibrahim, helped to establish the first Bahai printing and publishing company, the Nasiri Press, in Bombay and began to publish Bahai books from about 1882-83 onwards. Books such as The Book of Certitude and the Secret of Divine Civilization were published in 1882. Following the passing of Baha'u'llah, the leadership of the religion fell to Abdul-Baha, who also sent further emissaries to India. All these efforts slowly produced results and led to the first conversion of Indians to the Bahai faith. 

The first person to convert was Professor Pritam Singh, who belonged to the Sikh community. He began the publication of a Bahai weekly magazine in India. Narayenrao Rangnath Shethji was the first convert from the Hindu faith. Sometime later, many Iranian Zoroastrian converts came to Bombay to spread the faith among local Zoroastrians.

In December 1920, the first All-India Bahai Convention was held in Bombay for three days. It was decided to build a Bahai temple, establish a Bahai school and encourage the teaching and translation of Bahai works. Simla was chosen as the venue for the first Bahai summer school, held in 1938 and in 1941 three new local communities with functioning Local Spiritual Assemblies were established in the cities of Kota, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Symbolism: The lotus temple is shaped in the form of half-opened lotus flower. The flower, which is the national flower of India, has a unique position Indian mythology and culture. Its significance is deeply rooted in the minds and hearts of the Indians. Regarded as a sacred flower, it has been associated with worship throughout the many centuries, and has gained a deep and universal reverence from the people. In Bahai faith, it symbolises the possibility of being spiritual, pure and tender even in this materialistic world. The lotus stands for the manifestation of God and is a symbol of His love for all mankind.