Birla Mandir

Birla Mandir (Birla Temple) refers to different Hindu temples or Mandirs built by the Birla family, in different cities across India, with the exception of South India, whose cities were already well supplied with temples. All these temples are magnificently built, some of them in white marble or in sandstone. The temples are generally located in a prominent location, carefully designed to accommodate a large number of visitors. The worship and discourses are well organized. The first one was built in 1939 in Delhi collectively by Ghanshyamdas Birla and his brothers, as well his father. Later temples have been built by, and are managed by different branches of the family.

Birla Mandir, Delhi
Birla Mandir, Kolkata
Sun Temple, Gwalior, inspired by the Konark Sun Temple
Birla Mandir in Hyderabad
Birla Temple at Arera Hills, Bhopal.
Shri Vishwanath Mandir also known as Birla Mandir in the Banaras Hindu University campus, Varanasi.

History and Design

The Birla temples in Delhi and Bhopal were intended to fill a void, because these cities, ruled for centuries by Muslim dynasties, did not have any notable temples, since the ruler did not permit the construction of grand temples with shikharas. Delhi, even though it was the capital of India, did not have any notable temples. During the Mughal period, temples with shikharas were prohibited until the late Mughal period. The first temple to be built by the Brila family is the Laxminarayan Temple in Delhi. Located at a prominent site,[1] the temple was designed to be lofty and spacious, suitable for congregational worship or discourses. Although built using modern technology, it very loosely conformed to the Nagara style.

The Birla temples in Delhi, Banaras and the Bhopal use modern construction materials and techniques. Later temples are built of marble or sandstone and are constructed usually in the classical style of Māru-Gurjara architecture (from the Chandela or Chaulukya dynasty) of the 10-12th century, with some elements of local regional styles, such as the gopuram of the Birla Mandir, Hyderabad, otherwise in the northern Māru-Gurjara style. The Saraswati temple, in the BITS Pilani campus is one of the very few Sarasvati temples built in modern times (see Sharda Temple, Maihar). It is said to be a replica of the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple temple of Khajuraho; however it is built of white marble and adorned with not only images of Gods, but also of philosophers and scientists.[2] The Gwalior Sun temple is a replica (much reduced in size) of the famous Konark Sun Temple,[3] as it would have appeared before the collapse of the main tower. Anne Hardgrove states:

A national chain of the "Birla temples," temples of grandiose scale and design, have become major landmarks and part of the cityscapes of Indian urban life in the late twentieth century. The Birla temples exist in conjunction with other large industrial and philanthropic ventures of the wealthy Birla family, including major institutions of technology, medicine, and education. Birla temples have redefined religion to conform to modern ideals of philanthropy and humanitarianism, combining the worship of a deity with a public institution that contributes to civil society. The architectural forms of the two newest Birla temples (Jaipur and Kolkata) incorporate innovative, dual-purpose structures into the temple design that alter temple practices to reflect the concerns of modern public culture in a religious site.[4]

Birla Mandirs across India
Birla Temples in India
Image Temple Year Location Deity
Birla Mandir 1931-1966 Varanasi Shiva
Laxminarayan Temple[5] 1939 Delhi Lakshmi Narayan
Birla Mandir 1941 - 1961 Kanpur Lakshmi Narayan
Birla Mandir[6] 1952 Kurukshetra Krishna
Birla Mandir (Sharda Peeth)[7] 1956-1960 BITS Pilani Saraswati
Birla Mandir[8][9][10] 1957 Kurnool Laskhmi Narayan
Birla Mandir[11] 1960 Bhopal Lakshmi Narayan
Tulsi Birla Manas Mandir 1964 Varanasi Ram
Birla Mandir 1965 Shahad Vithoba
Renukeshaw Mahadev Temple 1972 Renukoot Shiva
Birla Mandir[12] 1966-1976 Hyderabad Venkateswara
Birla Mandir[13][14] 1976-1996 Kolkata Radha Krishna
Birla Mandir 1984-1988 Gwalior Surya
Birla Mandir 1988 Jaipur Lakshmi Narayan
Birla Mandir Patna Lakshmi Narayan
Birla Mandir Akola Rama
Birla Mandir Nagda Vishnu
Birla Mandir[15] Alibaug Ganesha
Birla Mandir[16] Brajarajnagar Laxmi Narayanan
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See also

References
  1. Backdrop of the Struggle in India; American's impressions of a teeming land. Amid romance, reality, fabulous wealth and dire poverty there is yearning for independence. Backdrop of Struggle in India, Herbert L. Matthews, New York Times Magazine, September 27, 1942
  2. Community and Public Culture: The Marwaris in Calcutta 1897-1997, Anne Hardgrove, Philanthropy and Mapping the Kul: Industrialists and Temple Building
  3. Pilgrimage Centres of India, Brajesh Kumar, A.H.W. Sameer series, Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd., 2003 p. 103
  4. Community and Public Culture: The Marwaris in Calcutta 1897-1997, Anne Hardgrove, Philanthropy and Mapping the Kul: Industrialists and Temple Building
  5. "Making history with brick and mortar". Hindustan Times. September 15, 2011.
  6. "Birla Mandir, Kurukushetra". Archived from the original on 2018-05-24. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  7. Temple Net. "Birla Mandir". Retrieved 2009-10-27.
  8. Sajnani, Dr. Manohar (2001). Encyclopedia of Tourism Resources In India (Volume II). II. Kalpaz Publications, Delhi. p. 23. ISBN 81-7835-018-1.
  9. Bhatt, S.C.; Bhargava, Gopal K ., eds. (2006). LAND AND PEOPLE of Indian State and Union Territories (In 36 Volumes), Andhra Pradesh, Volume - 2. 2. Kalpaz Publications, Delhi. p. 490. ISBN 81-7835-358-X.
  10. "Sri Lakshmi Satya Narayana Swamy Devasthanam, Kurnool".
  11. "Birla Mandir, Lakshmi Narayan Temple, Bhopal".
  12. "Lord Venkateshwara Temple(Birla Mandir), Hyderabad".
  13. Birla Mandir in Kolkata - Lakshmi Narayan Temple - Birla Temple in Kolkata - Kolkata Archived June 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  14. Kolkata: City Guide, Goodearth Publications, 2011 - Calcutta, p. 103
  15. "Birla Ganesh Mandir". Archived from the original on 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
  16. "Birla Temple, near Lamtibahal, Brajrajnagar".
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