Laxminarayan Temple

The Laxminarayan Temple also known as the Birla Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Laxminarayan in Delhi, India. The construction of temple dedicated to Laxmi Narayana started in 1933, built by industrialist and philanthropist, Baldeo Das Birla and his son Jugal Kishore Birla of the Birla family, thus, the temple is also known as Birla Temple. The foundation stone of temple was laid by Maharaj Udaybhanu Singh. The temple was built under the guidance of the Pandit Vishwanath Shastri. The concluding ceremony and Yagna was performed by Swami Keshwa Nandji. The famous temple is accredited to have been inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1939. At that time, Mahatma Gandhi kept a condition that the temple would not be restricted to the Hindus and people from every caste would be allowed inside. The three-storied temple is built in the northern or Nagara style of Hindu temple architecture. The entire temple is adorned with the carvings depicting the scenes from Hindu mythology. More than hundred skilled artisans from Benares, headed by Acharya Vishvanath Shastri, carved the idols of the temple. The highest shikhara of the temple above the sanctum sanctorum is about 160 feet The main temple houses statues of Lord Narayan and the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi.