| Birla Mandir, Jaipur | |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| Deity | Narayan, Lakshmi |
| Festivals | Diwali, Janamashtami |
| Location | |
| Location | Birla Mandir, Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg, Tilak Nagar, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302022, India |
| State | Rajasthan |
| Country | India |
  Shown within Jaipur  Birla Mandir, Jaipur (Rajasthan) | |
| Coordinates | 26°53′32″N 75°48′56″E / 26.8921°N 75.8155°E |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Modern |
| Funded by | B. M. Birla Foundation |
| Groundbreaking | 1977 |
| Completed | 1988 |
| Materials | White marble |
| Website | |
| https://myrajasthanivlog.com/birla_mandir_jaipur.html | |
Birla Mandir (Lakshmi Narayan Temple) is a Hindu temple located in Jaipur, India,<ref name=":0">"Birla Mandir". Times of India Travel. Retrieved 12 March 2020.</ref> and is one of many Birla mandirs.<ref name=":1">"Birla Mandir". India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News | India.com. Retrieved 23 March 2020.</ref> It was built by the B.M. Birla Foundation in 1988 and is constructed solely of white marble.<ref name=":2" /> It is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi and god Vishnu (Narayan),<ref name=":3">"Birla Temple Jaipur- Birla Mandir Jaipur, Laxmi Narayan Mandir Jaipur India, Birla Temple Rajasthan India". www.culturalindia.net. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2020.</ref> whose images appear inside, along with other Hindu gods and goddesses and selections from the Gita and Upanishads.<ref name=":2">"Birla Temple Jaipur Rajasthan". www.jaipur.org.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2020.</ref> It is located in Jaipur's Tilak Nagar neighborhood, near Moti Dungari hill.<ref>Das, Joydip (2015). Jaipur Pocket Travel Guide. Bluworlds Guides. p. 12.</ref>
History
Tradition states that a Maharaja sold the Birla family the land for the temple for one rupee.<ref name=":2" /><ref>"Birla Mandir Jaipur, History, Facts and Story of Birla Temple". www.indialine.com. Archived from the original on 17 September 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2020.</ref><ref>"Laxmi Narayan Temple / Birla Mandir Jaipur, India (Timings, History, Entry Fee, Images, Aarti, Location & Phone) - Jaipur Tourism 2020". jaipurtourism.co.in. Retrieved 23 March 2020.</ref> Construction began in 1977 under the direction Ramanauj Das and Ghanshyam Birla.<ref name=":5">Sethi, Ankit (11 February 2018). "Birla Mandir Jaipur - Temple Lakshmi Narayan, Timings, History". Mysterioustrip. Retrieved 25 March 2020.</ref> It opened on February 22, 1988.<ref>Harshwal, Prateek (13 April 2018). "Birla Mandir Jaipur - A Must Visit White Marble Structure in All Pink City". Jaipur City Travel Guide: Pink City Heritage, Food, Shopping, much more. Retrieved 25 March 2020.</ref>
Architecture
The temple is made of white marble. There are four distinct parts of the temple: its sanctum, tower, main hall, and entrance.<ref name=":6">Kudelska, Marta; Staszczyk, Agnieszka; Świerzowska, Agata (2016). "Birla Mandirs – The contemporary Hindu temple complexes as an example of modernization by going back to tradition – 2015 fieldwork report". The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. 1: 151–156 – via CEEOL.</ref> It has three towers, referencing the three main faiths of India,<ref name=":2" /> as well as stained glass windows depicting traditional Hindu stories.<ref name=":3" /> Marble sculptures<ref name=":0" /> also reference Hindu mythology.<ref name=":4">"Incredible India | Birla Temple". www.incredibleindia.org. Retrieved 23 March 2020.</ref> It features Hindu deities inside - particularly Lakshmi, Narayan, and Ganesh<ref name=":3" /> - and figures such as Christ, the Virgin Mary, St. Peter, Buddha, Confucius, and Socrates on the outer walls.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6" /> Statues of its founders - Rukmani Devi Birla and Braj Mohan Birla - lie outdoors in covered pavilions, facing the temple with hands folded in namaskāra mudra.<ref name=":6" /> Its architectural style is considered to be modern.<ref name=":2" /> It was built on a raised platform, which lifts it up into the Jaipur skyline; at night, it becomes covered in light.<ref name=":4" /> In addition to the temple itself, the grounds include gardens<ref name=":1" /> and a small gift shop.<ref name=":0" /> Below the temple lies the B. M. Birla Family Museum and the Sri and Smt. G. P. Birla Gallery; both contain photographs of the temple's construction and the Birla family's philanthropic contributions, as well as treasures belonging to the Birla family.<ref name=":6" />
Gallery
<gallery mode="packed-overlay" perrow="5"> File:Birla mandir jaipur.JPG|alt=white marble Hindu temple File:Birla mandir 3.jpg|alt=white marble Hindu temple File:Handrails of birla mandir.JPG|alt=handrails of white marble Hindu temple File:Jaipur-Birla Mandir-Chattri of the Birla family member-20131016.jpg|alt=white marble Hindu temple File:Birla Mandir 032.jpg|alt=white marble Hindu temple </gallery>
References
External links
- Laxmi Narayan Birla Temple Archived 5 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine