Lakshmi Narayan Temple

Come to New Delhi and you will find an unlimited number of religious and ancient tourist destinations. One of the most important and famous religious temples that you can visit is Lakshmi Narayan temple, situated on Mandir Marg off Connaught Place. The Lakshmi Narayan Mandir is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu. For those not aware, Goddess Lakshmi symbolises prosperity and wealth and worshiping her with utmost devotion fulfills all your aspirations. Lord Vishnu is known as the preserver of the Hindu Trinity (creator-preserver-destroyer). This temple is also known as the Birla Mandir and was built by Raja Baldev Das in the year 1938.

Every work of architecture has a history attached to it. So does this temple. It took six years to construct the Lakshmi Narayan temple and was inaugurated by none other than Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation, India! An interesting fact to be noted is that Mahatma Gandhi agreed to grace the occasion on a condition that people from all walks, creed, caste and religion be allowed to enter the temple premises. This was particularly because in those days higher society folks did not allow lower caste people, and tribals or untouchables to even hover around worship areas. The Birla family takes care of the maintenance of the Lakshmi Narayan temple; just the perfect approach to providing service to the nation!

The Birla Mandir adapts the Orissan style of architecture, especially noticeable with circular patterns forming the top of the tall towers. Inscriptions from the various holy books of the Hindu religion such as the Gita and the Upanishads adorn the walls of the temple. One can also observe various Hindu symbols carved on the walls and various scenes from the Hindu mythology. Surprisingly, the temple architecture has a modern feel to it.

One cannot fail to appreciate the height of the 165 ft high tower as against the 116 ft tower which is a part of the temple. Two other set of structures present in the temple premises are the Buddha temple and Geeta Bhavan. The Buddha temple with the peaceful and serene atmosphere depicts the life and works of Lord Buddha through murals and paintings on the walls of the temple. A peek into the various aspects of Indian mythology awaits you at the Geeta Bhavan, which is dedicated to Lord Krishna. The entire temple complex richly displays paintings of various artists hailing from Jaipur. The backdrop of the temple is spectacular with an artificial creation of the hilly terrains in addition to the waterfalls and fountains.

The entire temple stands on a mounted platform facing towards the east, as all temples are normally positioned. The shrine also is an abode to Goddess Durga, Lord Shiva, Lord Hanuman and Lord Ganesha. The festival of Janmashtami which marks the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna is celebrated in splendour here. Birla Mandir or Lakshmi Narayan temple is a major tourist attraction and is visited by thousands of tourists and devotees all round the year.


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