Birla Mandir, at the base of Moti Dungri hill, is very different from Jaipur’s older sandstone temples: it is built entirely in gleaming white marble. The temple stands on a raised platform with three shikharas (towers) and wide steps leading up to a spacious pillared hall. Inside, idols of Lakshmi and Narayan (Vishnu) are installed in a bright, uncluttered sanctum, while stained-glass windows and marble panels depict scenes from Hindu scriptures. The outer walls are unusual because they also show figures like Buddha, Christ, Socrates and other philosophers, underlining a message of harmony. At night, when the whole temple complex is floodlit, the white marble glows and can be seen from many parts of the city, making it a popular spot for evening darshan.
About this place
History & highlights
The temple is part of a series of Birla Mandirs built across India by the industrial Birla family in the 20th century, combining philanthropy with temple building. In Jaipur, the land for the temple on Jawaharlal Nehru Marg was reportedly given by the Maharaja to the Birlas for a token sum of one rupee. Construction began in 1977, and the temple was completed and consecrated in 1988, funded by the B.M. Birla Foundation. Its architecture is deliberately “modern traditional”: using the familiar shikhara and mandapa forms of North Indian temples but in a simplified, marble-heavy style without the dense carving typical of older shrines. Below the main temple are small museums and galleries dedicated to the Birla family history and philanthropy, firmly placing the mandir in the context of contemporary Jaipur rather than ancient times.
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