Which one to choose in Delhi
Gurdwara Bangla Sahib vs Lotus Temple (Bahai House of Worship)
Two temples in Delhi. Gurdwara Bangla Sahib has 2 tickets and tours to book; Lotus Temple (Bahai House of Worship) has 8 tickets and tours to book. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
Delhi, India
Gurdwara Bangla Sahib is free and open to all, whatever their faith, and there is nothing to book. You leave your shoes at the free shoe counter, cover your head with a scarf from the baskets at the entrance if you have not brought one, rinse your feet in the shallow channel and walk in.
That said, a guided visit is well worth considering, especially on a first trip to India. Several Delhi walking and city tours stop here, and a few are built entirely around the gurdwara and Sikh culture. They explain the basics of Sikh belief, take you through the prayer hall and round the holy tank, and lead you into the community kitchen, where you can help roll chapatis alongside the volunteers and then sit on the floor to share the free meal.
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Delhi, India
Entry to the Lotus Temple is free and no ticket is needed. Visitors join a queue at the gate, leave their shoes at a counter near the steps and are admitted to the central hall in groups, after a short briefing by volunteers about keeping silence inside. The queue can be long on weekends, but it moves steadily, and there is nothing to book in advance.
Tours sold online therefore offer transport and context rather than access. Private city tours by car often pair the Lotus Temple with the Akshardham complex and the ISKCON temple, which stands on a hill a short distance away, giving a day built around modern places of worship in south Delhi.
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