It is known in Buddhism as a plant that can bring enlightenment; Even though it grows in the mud of swamps, the flower always emerges, floating pure and clean.
It also represents the sun and the wheel of birth and rebirth, since its petals open at dawn and close when it gets dark.
The lotus flower was associated with the goddess Nefereti and the sun god Ra, who was sometimes illustrated as a child lying on a lotus flower. The capitals of Egyptian columns were often carved in the shape of a lotus, both in bud and in full bloom.
One of the oldest emblems of Asian art is the lotus, which symbolizes creation and purity. Its long stem is the umbilical cord that unites man to his origin while its perfect flower represents the illumination and purity to which the human soul aspires.
The sacred lotus flower is the national symbol of India, often associated with Maha Lakshmi, goddess of abundance.
According to Hindu mythology, Buddha appeared floating on a huge lotus leaf, and he is always represented on a pedestal in the shape of this plant.
In The Odyssey, Ulysses and his crew land on the island of the lotus eaters. In the Iberian Peninsula, lotus-shaped archaeological remains have been found in Sevillian sites from the Tartessos period (750-550 BC).