In the heart of New Delhi stands the Laxminarayan Temple, widely known as the Birla Mandir, a grand shrine dedicated to Lord Vishnu (Narayana) and his consort Lakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity. Built by the industrialist Birla family and completed in 1939, it was, by the wish of Mahatma Gandhi who inaugurated it, opened to people of all castes and communities — a notable gesture in its day.
Raised in the Nagara style with tall carved shikharas of red and cream stone, and set amid gardens and fountains, the temple is a beloved and much-visited place of worship in the capital, thronged especially at Janmashtami and Diwali. Birla Mandir is among the most graceful of Delhi's modern temples.
