Laxmi Narayan Mandir (Birla Mandir)

About The Temple

Notable Characteristics Of Laxmi Narayan Mandir (Birla Mandir)

Laxmi Narayan Mandir also known as Birla Mandir is the famous Hindu Mandir in New Delhi. The location of the temple is in Mandir Marg in Connaught place. The Mandir was built by industrialist Baldao Das Birla and Jugal Kishore Birla in the year 1938 under the supervision of Pandit Vishwanath Shastri. Maharaja Udaybhanu Singh set the foundation stone of the temple.

The cultural significance of the temple

Dedicated to the worship of the chief shrines Lord Narayan and goddess Laxmi, the temple is a popular center of attraction to numerous worshippers all over India. Laxmi Narayan Mandir temple is built spectacularly with a touch of modernism. There are beautiful embellishments that adorn the interiors of the Mandir portraying the segments from mythology. It has engravings of innumerable Hindu symbols and quotes from the sacred book of the Hindus the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads in the walls of the temple. The tallest Shikhara in the Mandir rise to a height of 165 feet, but the ancillary tower soar to an altitude of 116 feet. Standing on a raised platform, the Mandir manifests the sacred and holy Vedas.

The presiding divinity

The main deities in the Birla Mandir are Narayan and his wife, Goddess Laxmi. Laxminarayan refers to the manifestation of Lord Vishnu in the Hindu religion. Vishnu also known as Narayan is with his wife, Goddess Laxmi in his eternal adobe known as Vaikuntha. The Bhagavad Gita, Holy Vedas and the Puranas depict Narayana as Purushottama. Laxmi also known as Sri is the source of strength and power in Lord Vishnu. When Vishnu incarnated in the world as the descent of the superior being, Rama and Krishna, Laxmi appeared as their consort as Sita and Radha.

The chief idol

In Hindu religion, there is a special feature of worshiping the divinities as figurines or statues that personify the deities in the visual form as carved image figures. The main idol of the Birla Mandir is Narayan and Laxmi. It illustrates goddess Laxmi as standing beside the dark complexioned Lord Vishnu. It depicts Vishnu as holding the conch, a heavy club with a spiked metallic head known as mace, lotus flower, and Sudarshan Chakra.

The other Mandir's present in the complex

Geeta Bhawan devoted to Lord Krishna is situated in the north of the Laxmi Narayan temple. There is a Buddha Mandir also within the compound of the Laxmi Narayan Mandir. This Mandir has decors of murals which describes the life and works of Buddha. There are also temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, Ganesh and Hanuman within the complex of the Birla Mandir.

Worshiping the deity

The presiding deities of the Birla Mandir are goddess Laxmi and Narayan. Devotees irrespective of their religion and faith, worship the shrines in the temple. The Mandir includes several idols depicting various gods and goddess from the Indian mythology. In Birla Mandir Aarti takes place in the evening that numerous worshippers across the city make sure to attend. The best day to visit Laxmi Narayan temple is Friday, which is the special day for worshiping the goddess Vaibhav Laxmi. The Brahmins conduct the special rituals in the Mandir. The appointments of the Brahmins are made by the Mandir administration who acts as the priests of the temple.

Pious occasion to visit the Mandir

The finest occasion to visit the Laxmi Narayan Mandir is during the Janmashtami. Also known as Gakulashtami, it celebrates the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu with great grandeur. Birla Mandir on this holy occasion has a special display that attracts thousands of worshippers throughout the country. The celebration of the festival takes place on day eighth that is Ashtami of the Krishna Paksha in the Sravana month that is the month of August-September according to the English calendar. Rasa Lila, a special dramatic performance on the life of Lord Krishna, is the important feature of the ceremony. The Dahi-Handi celebration also takes place on the occasion of Janmashtami to focus on the playful and naughty side of Lord Krishna. Some annual and special events also take place in the Mandir during another remarkable festival of the Hindus, the Ram Navami. This religious ceremony celebrates the birth of Lord Ramchandra in the month of April.

The holy pilgrimage

The Laxmi Narayan Mandir is one of the important landmarks that fascinate several tourists all over the country. The temple showcases a modern idea of the architectural revolution that attracts numerous devotees both nationally and internationally. The worshipers can procure Birla Mandir Photos from the Mandir authorities and administration for visual pleasure.

How To Reach

Provisions of comprehensive transportations have made travelling easier to Laxmi Narayan Mandir (Birla Mandir). Due to good transportation connectivity in Delhi with other parts of India visiting Laxmi Narayan Mandir has become easier.

By road: The distance from New Delhi Station to Laxmi Narayan Mandir is 4 kilometers. There is a well-planned road network in the city which takes the pilgrims conveniently to the temple. You can also hire rental cars and pre-paid autos from the station to reach the temple. There are also state bus route services like air condition, ordinary, deluxe and semi-deluxe buses in the city.
By air: You can avail the aerial route to travel to New Delhi from any parts of India to reach Birla Mandir. The IGI airport is at a distance of 4 kilometers from the Birla Mandir, and it hardly takes 20 min to reach the Mandir from the airport.
By train: Since the location of the Birla Mandir is near Gole market, Mandir Marg in Connaught Place, the nearest metro station that can be availed to reach the temple is RK Ashram Marg. The Mandir is approximately 1 kilometer from RK Ashram Marg metro station. There are also direct train services to Delhi from all parts of India, which helps the devotees to reach the Mandir without much hassle.

Nearby Attractions

The city of New Delhi has fascinated tourists throughout the world for decades. New Delhi tourist guide will help you to explore the various sightseeing places in the city.

India Gate: Considered as one of the chief places of attraction in New Delhi, India Gate is devoted to the remembrance of the Indian army who fought and became martyrs in World War 1. It was designed by Edward Lutyens and took almost ten years to finish.
Rashtrapati Bhawan: it was the palace of the Viceroy of India at that point of time. It is one of the famous monuments in India which at recent times is the house of the President of India. This renowned building was planned by Edward Lutyens. The construction started in 1911, and it took about nine years to complete the construction. It is open to the tourist in the spring time.
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib: It is a place frequently visited during Gurupurab's and Guru Nanak Jayanti. The Gurudwara is illumined and brightened during the special occasions and kirtans are also held to induce in people the teachings of Akhand Path through continuous recitation.
Jantar Mantar: The construction of the famous structure was done by Maharaja Jay Singh 2 of Jaipur in New Delhi in 1724. The location of this astronomical observatory with masonry instruments is in Sansad Marg in Connaught Place.
Lotus Temple: Lotus Temple also known as the Bahai temple is famous for its flower-like shape. The location of the temple is in the southern Delhi. The temple is a Bahai house of devotion which won many awards for its beautiful architectural design.
Indira Gandhi National Center: Indira Gandhi Centre for Arts is a government institution set up to preserve and nurture art across the country. The inauguration of the center was made by the late Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi on 24 Th March 1987.

History Of Temple

Laxmi Narayan temple is one of the most popular Hindu temples devoted to Laxminarayan. Birla Mandir History says that the temple was magnificently designed which is appropriate for congregational homage or discourses. Legends say that Narayan is the supreme god in Hindu religion worshiped as the superior Purusha in Vaishnavisam, one of the important branches of Hinduism, with chief emphasis on the veneration of Vishnu. Narayan who is also popular as Vishnu and Hari, are worshiped as Purushottama in the sacred book of Bhagavad Gita Vedas and Purana. Whereas Goddess Laxmi is the Hindu goddess of affluence, material and religious prosperity and destiny, is the wife of Lord Vishnu.

Here the worship of Lord Narayan is undertaken in its boundless all-pervading formation. In Birla Mandir Delhi, Narayan as the enlightened supreme existence is the custodian of Trimurti. Trimurti is a notion of Hindu religion in which the celestial activity of creation, preservation and destruction are personified as Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswara. Here Narayan is accompanied by his consort Laxmi. Laxmi the famous Hindu goddess is the incarnation of beauty having four hands is the representative of the four objectives in human life. According to Hinduism, these four goals are Dharma, Kama, Artha and moksha. Laxmi is also known as Sri as she has six outstanding divine qualities or gunas. She is also an origin of power in Vishnu.

The execution of the rituals in the Birla Mandir comprises of the part of the legendary tale. The marriage and the bonding between Lord Narayan and Laxmi as better halves is a paradigm for occasions and rituals for the wedding couples in Hindu marriages. The temple dedicated to the worship of God Narayan and goddess Laxmi welcome worshippers with open arms from all parts of the country. Birla Mandir timing is suitable for thousands of devotees who visit the temple to seek the blessings of the holy divinities. The Mandir is open to all worshippers every day from 4.30 am to 1:30 pm. And again it is open from 2:30 pm in the noon till nine pm.