The well famous Laxminarayan temple must have heard it by the name of Birla temple in Delhi. It is one of the biggest Hindu temples in the city, as the name refers, the temple is dedicated to Lord Laxminarayan or Lord Vishnu. The temple is called Laxmi Narayan means goddess Laxmi and Lord Vishnu (Narayan) hence the temple is called Laxminarayan temple. It is built by the businessman Baldeo Das Birla with his sons from the year 1933 to 1939, this temple is more famous than you think.
The temple is spread over an area of 7.5 acres and consists of many fountains, small temples, religious sculptures, and some national importance. The temple also has a Geeta Bhawan which is mainly used for discourses. The foundation of this temple was laid by Maharaj Udaybhanu Singh and inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. Pandit Vishwanath Shastri was the guide when making the temple.
The temple is an incredible piece of architecture, the designer of the temple was one of the prominent leaders of the modern Indian architecture Movement. That was the time of the Swadeshi movement and this temple is the witness of that era, it speaks volumes about the times it was built. The movement is fairly visible in the architecture of the temple, as the canonical texts have been used in the temple and built in the Nagara style of temple architecture.
The temple also has work of Kota stone that was specially brought from the places like Agra, Jaisalmer, Makarana, and Kota. The main highlight of the temple is the shikhara, which is almost 160 feet in height. There are also some side tiny temples with the main temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, Buddha, and Krishna.
The opening timings of Birla Mandir are 4:30 AM till 1:30 PM in the afternoon. Then it is closed for lunchtime and opens again for visitors from 2:30 PM onwards. Birla temple closing time is 9:00 PM. The entry is totally free to explore the temple. It is open all days except on Mondays.
And, if you are looking for how to reach the temple, then it is quite simple, the temple is located on the Mandir Marg, and the nearest metro station is RK Ashram Marg metro station on the blue line.
Buses are also available in Delhi- 610, 216, 310, 729, 990A1, 966, 871 and RL77 go through the Laxminarayan temple from 6 AM to 10 PM.
Also visit: All you know about Neelkantheshwara temple
