Dedication of the Baha’i Temple in Norte del Cauca, Colombia

On Sunday, 22 July 2018, more than a thousand people gathered to celebrate a historic moment, as the first Baha’i House of Worship in Colombia opened its doors to all. Greetings from the authorities of Villa Rica, talks, music and traditional dances were all a part of the dedication event that gave way to groups visiting the House of Worship in a spirit of reverence and deep joy. The Inauguration of the House of Worship marks a new stage in the development of Baha’i Faith in Colombia. (*NOTE: Click on the “cc” button for English subtitles.)

The Temple’s inauguration ceremony marks a historic occasion for the people of Norte del Cauca, home to what is now the world’s second local Baha’i House of Worship – the other being located in Battambang, Cambodia. The local Baha’i House of Worship in Colombia is one of seven Baha’i Houses of Worship announced by the Universal House of Justice in their 2012 Ridvan Message. Others to be built are two national Houses of Worship in Papua New Guinea and The Democratic Republic of the Congo, and three more local Houses of Worship located in India, Kenya, and Vanuatu.

Sometimes referred to as “Baha’i Temples” or by the name “Mashriqu’l-Adhkar” which in Arabic means “Dawning-place of the remembrances of God”, there are currently eight continental Houses of Worship in the world today, located in the nations of Panama, Uganda, the United States of America, Samoa, Australia, India, Germany, and Chile.

For more information about the Baha’i House of Worship of Norte del Cauca, Colombia, please visit: http://bahai.org.co/casa-adoracion

You can also read more about the Temple’s design process and its architectural team from this Baha’i World News Service article, find out more about Baha’i Houses of Worship here on Bahai.org, and there’s also a great new compilation on the institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhar now available online at the Baha’i Reference Library.

Want to see how much you know about Baha’i Houses of Worship? Try Baha’i Blog’s House of Worship Trivia Quiz

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Naysan Naraqi

Naysan is passionate about using the arts and media to explore the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. Back in 2011, Naysan started up the Baha’i Blog project, channeling his experiences in both media and technology companies to help create a hub for Baha’i-inspired content online.