The Baha'i temples are a thing of Beauty. From complex architecture, to immense gardens, the temples embody the religion. From the website on Baha'i temples, I read some articles about the temple formation. It took five decades to build this temple in IL, and was built with the significance of a religion built right into the foundation.

One of the things i stumbled across was the number nine. The temple has nine doors from all directions, representing the temple being open on all sides to all people, and all humanity. Also, the temple has nine sides due to the calendar. There are nine holy days on the Baha'i calendar. This also appears in the garden which revolves around the nine pointed star which is the temple. The garden is perfectly symmetrical which reflects the unity in the Baha'i faith. No matter how far from the temple you are, you still are part of it because the world revolves around its religious significance and the Baha'i faith.

After a little browsing, i found something kind of cool which was that the dome of the temple is built in the shape of a bell which represents unity through prayer and meditation. This is also present on the columns outside the temple through the symbols carved into them.

What i find most intriguing about the bell shaped dome is that it represents unity through prayer and meditation. Why i find this so interesting is that meditation is mostly seen as self reflection. This happens whether or not you are part of a religion, so having a religious temple which reflects self reflection, i think, is quite significant because it relates to everyone and encourages them to come to the temple. That combined with the nine open sides to all of humanity, shows the Baha'i connection with the people not of the Baha'i faith and how tolerant they are of that.