Birla Mandir (Lakshminarayan Temple, also known as Birla Temple)

The Lakshminarayan Temple in Bhopal, also known as the Birla Temple, is located in the Malviya Nagar area of ​​Bhopal, to the south of the lake near the Arera Hills. There is a museum near the temple in which idols brought from places like Raisen, Sehore, Mandsaur and Sahdol of Madhya Pradesh are kept. Stone sculptures of Shiva, Vishnu and other incarnations can be seen here. The museum located near the temple is open every day except Monday from 9 am to 5 pm.

History

According to experts, the foundation stone of this temple was laid by the then Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Dr. Kailashnath Katju in the year 1960 and it was inaugurated in the year 1964 by the hands of Chief Minister Dwarka Prasad Mishra.

Description

Birla Temple, established five decades ago on Arera Hill in Bhopal, has been a center of religious faith for years. The beautiful statues of Lord Shri Hari Vishnu and Lakshmiji installed in the temple are attracting the devotees. Spread over about 7-8 acres of hilly area, the fame of this temple is spread in various cities of the country and state.

The marble carvings of various mythological scenes inside the temple are not only worth seeing, they also have sermons from Geeta and Ramayana inscribed on them.

Apart from the statues of Vishnuji and Lakshmiji, there are statues of Shiva on one side and Maa Jagadamba on the other side inside the temple. Hanumanji and Shivalinga are installed in the temple premises. The huge conch shell built in front of the main entrance of the temple is also worth seeing. At the time of the establishment of the temple, former Chief Minister Kailash Nath, along with giving land to the Birla family to set up an industry in the city, had also put a condition that they should build a grand and huge temple in this inaccessible hilly area.At the time of inauguration of the temple, a huge Vishnu Mahayagya was also organized here, in which many scholars and religious scholars participated. Even today this temple is the main focal point of public faith. On Janmashtami, the main event of the birth of Shri Krishna takes place, in which a large number of devotees participate and worship Lord Vishnu.