Birla Mandir is a gleaming white structure adorning the skyline of the city of Hyderabad
It is located to the south of Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad, atop the Kala Pahar, a twin hummock of Naubath Pahad.
Birla Mandir, situated at a height of 280-feet above sea level, was built by the Birlas in 1976 on a 13-acre land; the glistening white marbles used in the construction of the temple were sourced from Rajasthan.
The construction, which took nearly a decade to complete, was later sanctified by Swami Ranganathanda, a Hindu swami of the Ramakrishna Math order. There are similar temples constructed all across the country by the Birla Foundation, patron of Birla Temple at Hyderabad too.
The main deity of the temple is Lord Vishnu or Sri Venkateswara, made of granite, and is 11-feet tall. The temple plays kirtanas of Annamayya, Tyagaraja and Ramadasu every day bringing in a strong spiritual vibration.
The temple’s architectural style is a combination of South Indian and Utkal (Oriya): the main shrine also known as the Jagadananda Vimanam depicts the Oriyan style, whilst the Rajagopuram is reflective of the South Indian architectural style.
The two great Indian epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata are depicted in the intricately carved marbles. The design of Garbha Gudi (sanctum sanctorum) which is 42-feet high was inspired by the world-famous Venkateshwara temple at Tirumala.
The temple has separate shrines for the consorts of Swami Venkateswara: Padmavati and Andal. Interestingly, the Birla Mandir complex is also built with a temple dedicated to Lord Buddha, with his life events portrayed through fresco paintings. The temple complex also houses separate shrines for worshipping other Hindu gods including Hanuman, Ganesh, Shiva, Brahma, Saraswati and Saibaba.
Birla Mandir, which is open from 7AM -12AM and 3PM – 9PM on weekdays and weekend respectively, is a truly spectacular sight when illuminated at night
The temple is highly accessible from all parts of the city, thanks to the State transportation facilities. You can take a bus, and get down near Ravindra Bharathi, which is only 200m away from the temple.
