Birla Mandir
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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.
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
Image | Temple | Year | Location | Deity |
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Birla Mandir | 1931-1966 | Varanasi | Shiva |
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Laxminarayan Temple[5] | 1939 | Delhi | Lakshmi Narayan |
Birla Mandir | 1941 - 1961 | Kanpur | Lakshmi Narayan | |
Birla Mandir[6] | 1952 | Kurukshetra | Krishna | |
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Birla Mandir (Sharda Peeth)[7] | 1956-1960 | BITS Pilani | Saraswati |
Birla Mandir[8][9][10] | 1957 | Kurnool | Laskhmi Narayan | |
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Birla Mandir[11] | 1960 | Bhopal | Lakshmi Narayan |
Tulsi Birla Manas Mandir | 1964 | Varanasi | Ram | |
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Birla Mandir | 1965 | Shahad | Vithoba |
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Renukeshaw Mahadev Temple | 1972 | Renukoot | Shiva |
Birla Mandir[12] | 1966-1976 | Hyderabad | Venkateswara | |
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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 |
See also
References
- ^ 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
- ^ Community and Public Culture: The Marwaris in Calcutta 1897-1997, Anne Hardgrove, Philanthropy and Mapping the Kul: Industrialists and Temple Building
- ^ Pilgrimage Centres of India, Brajesh Kumar, A.H.W. Sameer series, Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd., 2003 p. 103
- ^ Community and Public Culture: The Marwaris in Calcutta 1897-1997, Anne Hardgrove, Philanthropy and Mapping the Kul: Industrialists and Temple Building
- ^ "Making history with brick and mortar". Hindustan Times. September 15, 2011.
- ^ "Birla Mandir, Kurukushetra". Archived from the original on 2018-05-24. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^ Temple Net. "Birla Mandir". Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- ^ Sajnani, Dr. Manohar (2001). Encyclopedia of Tourism Resources In India (Volume II). Vol. II. Kalpaz Publications, Delhi. p. 23. ISBN 81-7835-018-1.
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(help) - ^ Bhatt, S.C.; Bhargava, Gopal K ., eds. (2006). LAND AND PEOPLE of Indian State and Union Territories (In 36 Volumes), Andhra Pradesh, Volume - 2. Vol. 2. Kalpaz Publications, Delhi. p. 490. ISBN 81-7835-358-X.
- ^ "Sri Lakshmi Satya Narayana Swamy Devasthanam, Kurnool".
- ^ "Birla Mandir, Lakshmi Narayan Temple, Bhopal".
- ^ "Lord Venkateshwara Temple(Birla Mandir), Hyderabad".
- ^ Birla Mandir in Kolkata - Lakshmi Narayan Temple - Birla Temple in Kolkata - Kolkata Archived June 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Kolkata: City Guide, Goodearth Publications, 2011 - Calcutta, p. 103
- ^ "Birla Ganesh Mandir". Archived from the original on 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
- ^ "Birla Temple, near Lamtibahal, Brajrajnagar".