Birla Mandir, Jaipur
{{About|Birla temple in Jaipur|other Birla temples in India|Birla Mandir}}
{{short description|Birla Mandir Hindu temple located in Jaipur, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox religious building
| name = Birla Mandir, Jaipur
| coordinates = {{coordinates|26.8921|N|75.8155|E|display=inline,title}}
| religious_affiliation = Hinduism
| image = Birla Mandir Jaipur (2022-07).jpg
| location = Birla Mandir, Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg, Tilak Nagar, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302022, India
| festivals = Diwali, Janamashtami
| state = Rajasthan
| country = India
| architecture_style = Modern
| funded_by = B. M. Birla Foundation
| groundbreaking = 1977
| year_completed = 1988
| materials = White marble
| map_type = India Jaipur#Rajasthan
}}
Birla Mandir, Jaipur (Lakshmi Narayan Temple) is a Hindu temple located in Jaipur, India{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/jaipur/birla-mandir/ps39668800.cms|title=Birla Mandir|website=Times of India Travel|access-date=2020-03-12}} and is one of many Birla mandirs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.india.com/travel/jaipur/things-to-do/temples-birla-mandir/|title=Birla Mandir|website=India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News {{!}} India.com|language=en|access-date=2020-03-23}} It was built by the B.M. Birla Foundation in 1988 and is constructed solely of white marble. It is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi and god Vishnu (Narayan),{{Cite web|url=https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-temples/birla-temple-jaipur.html|title=Birla Temple Jaipur- Birla Mandir Jaipur, Laxmi Narayan Mandir Jaipur India, Birla Temple Rajasthan India|website=www.culturalindia.net|access-date=2020-03-23}} whose images appear inside, along with other Hindu gods and goddesses and selections from the Gita and Upanishads.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jaipur.org.uk/temples/birla-temple.html|title=Birla Temple Jaipur Rajasthan|website=www.jaipur.org.uk|access-date=2020-03-12}} It is located in Jaipur's Tilak Nagar neighborhood near Moti Dungari hill.{{Cite book|last=Das|first=Joydip|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QBUeCgAAQBAJ&q=birla+mandir+jaipur&pg=PA12|title=Jaipur Pocket Travel Guide|publisher=Bluworlds Guides|year=2015|pages=12}}
History
Tradition states that a Maharaja sold the Birla family the land for the temple for one rupee.{{Cite web|url=http://www.indialine.com/travel/rajasthan/jaipur/birla-temple.html|title=Birla Mandir Jaipur, History, Facts and Story of Birla Temple|website=www.indialine.com|access-date=2020-03-23|archive-date=17 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917174940/http://www.indialine.com/travel/rajasthan/jaipur/birla-temple.html|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://jaipurtourism.co.in/laxmi-narayan-temple-birla-mandir-jaipur|title=Laxmi Narayan Temple / Birla Mandir Jaipur, India (Timings, History, Entry Fee, Images, Aarti, Location & Phone) - Jaipur Tourism 2020|website=jaipurtourism.co.in|access-date=2020-03-23}} Construction began in 1977 under the direction Ramanauj Das and Ghanshyam Birla.{{Cite web|url=https://mysterioustrip.com/birla-mandir-jaipur/|title=Birla Mandir Jaipur - Temple Lakshmi Narayan, Timings, History|last=Sethi|first=Ankit|date=2018-02-11|website=Mysterioustrip|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-25}} It opened on February 22, 1988.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jaipurlove.com/birla-mandir-jaipur/561/|title=Birla Mandir Jaipur - A Must Visit White Marble Structure in All Pink City|last=Harshwal|first=Prateek|date=2018-04-13|website=Jaipur City Travel Guide: Pink City Heritage, Food, Shopping, much more|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-25}}
Architecture
The temple is made of white marble. There are four distinct parts of the temple: its sanctum, tower, main hall, and entrance.{{Cite journal|last1=Kudelska|first1=Marta|last2=Staszczyk|first2=Agnieszka|last3=Świerzowska|first3=Agata|date=2016|title=Birla Mandirs – The contemporary Hindu temple complexes as an example of modernization by going back to tradition – 2015 fieldwork report|url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=531750|journal=The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture|volume=1|pages=151–156|via=CEEOL}} It has three towers, referencing the three main faiths of India, as well as stained glass windows depicting traditional Hindu stories. Marble sculptures also reference Hindu mythology.{{Cite web|url=https://www.incredibleindia.org/content/incredibleindia/en/destinations/jaipur/birla-temple.html|title=Incredible India {{!}} Birla Temple|website=www.incredibleindia.org|access-date=2020-03-23}} It features Hindu deities inside - particularly Lakshmi, Narayan, and Ganesh - and figures such as Christ, the Virgin Mary, St. Peter, Buddha, Confucius, and Socrates on the outer walls. 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. Its architectural style is considered to be modern. It was built on a raised platform, which lifts it up into the Jaipur skyline; at night, it becomes covered in light. In addition to the temple itself, the grounds include gardens and a small gift shop. 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.
Gallery
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
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.npsin.in/mandir/birla-temple-jaipur Laxmi Narayan Birla Temple] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905041154/http://www.npsin.in/mandir/birla-temple-jaipur |date=5 September 2017 }}
{{commons category|Birla Mandir, Jaipur}}
{{Hindu temples in Rajasthan}}{{Birla Mandirs}}
Category:Hindu temples in Rajasthan
Category:Tourist attractions in Jaipur