© Åke E:son Lindman

The proposal has been pitched by the temple's trustee, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of India, which has appointed India National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) to prepare the nomination dossiers. The site was included on the Unesco's "tentative list of world heritage sites" in April 2014. The Delhi government is also extending cooperation to the nomination process, said sources.

"The temple is unique not just for its architectural features, but also because it symbolises the principles of Baha'i faith-unity among mankind and all religions. The Baha'i faith is not represented by any statue or idol, everyone who comes to the temple feels a spiritual connection to their creator, whatever religion or background he/she may belong to," said Nazneen Rowhani, secretary general of the spiritual assembly of the Baha'is of India.

Delhi currently has three world heritage sites-Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Humayun's Tomb. Conservationists said the inclusion of Baha'i temple in the Unesco list would be a matter of a huge pride for the capital. "Even though the House of Worship is a modern architectural work, its roots can be traced to religious symbolism of ancient India," said a conservation expert. In terms of footfall, the site has been dubbed one of the most visited sacred buildings in the world, surpassing even the Taj Mahal, according to some reports.

"We are very happy that the Baha'i temple is being considered for the world heritage inscription. We receive patrons from all communities. Of late, the daily average footfall on the site has gone up to 10,000 thanks to the Metro connectivity," said Rowhani.