Laxminarayan Temple (Birla Mandir)

Mandir Marg, west of Connaught Place, New Delhi

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About

The Laxminarayan temple, known to everyone as Birla Mandir, is one of Delhi's major temples, on Mandir Marg to the west of Connaught Place. It is dedicated to Shri Lakshmi Narayan, Vishnu ji with Lakshmi ji. The Birla family built it between 1933 and 1939, and Mahatma Gandhi inaugurated it on the condition that people of every caste would be welcome inside. The temple's shikhar rises about 160 feet, and the complex has gardens and fountains, with shrines of Shiv ji, Ganesh ji, Hanuman ji, Maa Durga and the Buddha. The Geeta Bhawan, a hall for religious talks, is dedicated to Shri Krishna.

The story

In the 1930s the industrialist Baldeo Das Birla and his son Jugal Kishore Birla decided to build a large temple to Lakshmi Narayan in New Delhi, which was then a new capital city. It was the first large Hindu temple built in Delhi in the twentieth century. The foundation stone was laid in 1933, and the walls were carved and painted with scenes from the scriptures. When the temple was ready in 1939, Mahatma Gandhi came to inaugurate it. He made one condition: the temple's doors would be open to people of every caste, and this has been the temple's way ever since. The Delhi temple was the first of many temples that the Birla family later built in cities across India, and many of those are also called Birla Mandir. Today it is a peaceful place of worship in the middle of the city. On Janmashtami and Diwali it is lit up and full of devotees.

Visiting

October to March is the best time to visit Delhi; Janmashtami and Diwali are the most festive days. The nearest metro station is RK Ashram Marg, about 1.5 km away. Connaught Place and Gole Market are close by.

Festivals

Krishna Janmashtami
Diwali
Navratri

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Sources