Villages and neighborhoods across India are witnessing an efflorescence of gatherings for collective worship. Thousands upon thousands of souls gather in homes in diverse settings on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis to share prayers, read extracts from the sacred scriptures, and consult about their implications for their lives. These small gatherings of friends of different ages and backgrounds serve to enrich the spiritual lives of the individuals involved, as well as knit closer together the spiritual bonds of unity and community in a locality.

While the Baha’i community does have temples in which people of all backgrounds gather for prayer and meditation (a notable example of which is the Baha’i House of Worship -- known as the Lotus Temple -- in Delhi), Baha’is also believe that any place in which people gather for remembrance of God is blessed and is even as a temple. Since the Baha’i Faith has no clergy or priestly class, the responsibility falls upon each individual to serve as a protagonist in the spiritual enrichment of his or her community, and hosting devotional meetings is one way in which individuals and families carry out this responsibility.