Location: Below the Moti Dungri Hill, In Jaipur
Built by: B.M. Birla Foundation
Built in: 1988
Dedicated to: Lord Laxmi Narayan
Highlights: Rich carvings on pure white marble
Birla Temple is a popular architectural wonder of Jaipur. Located below the Moti Dungri Hill, Birla Mandir is easily accessible from the city of Jaipur. One can take local buses, rickshaws or can hire taxis to reach the Birla Temple. In 1988, the striking temple was built by Birla Group of Industries, a well-known name in the corporate sector of India. Made in pure white marble, Birla Mandir appears startling, when it gets lighten up in the night. Birla Temple of Jaipur is renowned for its fine carvings and delicate work.
The original name of the shrine is Laxmi Narayan Temple, yet it is more popular as Birla Temple being made by the Birlas. As the name suggests, Laxmi Narayan Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu (Narayan), the preserver and his wife Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth. Erected with a modern approach, Laxminarayan Mandir sprawls in the wide area of Jaipur. Standing on a raised platform, Birla Temple is made out with the premium quality of white marble.
Three different approaches to the religion are depicted by the three colossal domes of the temple. The Temple can be entered by taking a flight of marble steps. Outside the main shrine, there are many stained glass windows, portraying the scenes from Hindu Mythology. Inside the shrine, the idols have a majestic appeal about them. These remarkable idols are sculpted beautifully and appear, as if, they would address the onlooker in no time at all.
The commemorated deity of Laxmi Narayan gets the special attention, since it is carved out from a single piece of stone. Besides all other idols, the idol of Ganesha is a magnum opus that appears almost-transparent. The pictures of historical achievers, legends, philosophers and spiritual saints like Socrates, Christ, Buddha, Confucius are also displayed in the temple.
The exterior walls of the temple are imprinted with lavish sculptures, imbibed from the mythological themes, whereas the interiors boast of a large marble panel rendering mythological events. The temple complex encompasses a museum, where ancestral valuables of the Birlas are displayed. The blossoming green gardens of the complex add to the beauty of this spectacular temple. Birla Temple is a work of genius and people come here in large numbers, to behold the charm & splendor of this shrine.
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