Location : On Kala Pahad In Hyderabad
Presiding deity : Lord Venkateswara (Vishnu).
Timing : 7.00 A.M. to 12.00 Noon and 3.00 P.M to 9.00 P.M.
Open : all days of the week.
About Birla Mandir
An enchanting modern Birla Mandir located in south end of Hussain
Sagar in Hyderabad, stands atop the Kala Pahad, the twin hillock of
the Naubat Pahad. The Birlas (industrialists who have also built
several temples in India in this century) built this temple in 1976.
This modern enchanting temple dedicated to Lord Venkateswara
(Vishnu), constructed with white marbles from Rajasthan. Kausalya
supraja Rama poorva sandhya pravartate.. the chanting mantra to
awake the Lord can be heard every morning at around 5.30 am. And as
for the evenings, they are a treat to your ears at this hilltop
temple.Sweet melodies of cuckoos and the kirtans of Annamayya,
Tyagaraja and Ramadas at the backdrop of the orangish-red sky
pleasantly soothe your soul.
Mixture Architecture
Birla Mandir combines the architectural styles of Orissan and South
Indian temples. A Rajagopuram built in the South Indian style greets
the visitors. The tower over the main shrine of Lord Venkateswara
called the "Jagadananda Vimanam" is built in the Orissan
style, while the towers over the shrines of the consorts are built
in the South Indian style. An exotic scenes from the great epics of
Ramayana and Mahabharatha are finely sculpted in marble, the inner
shrine of the temple is a replica of the Venkateswara temple at
Tirupati. The brass flagstaff rises to a height of 42 feet.
The granite image of the presiding deity is about 11ft tall and a
carved lotus forms an umbrella for this image. There are several
carvings in marble, in the adjoining 'Mukha Mandapam' - depicting
scenes from Indian mythology.
Other Shrines in the Temple
The consorts of Venkateswara, 'Padmavati' and 'Andal' are housed in
separate shrines. There is also a temple dedicated to Buddha in this
complex with fresco paintings describing his life and work.
Birla Mandir offers a spectacular sight when illuminated at night.
A tour to Hyderabad is considered incomplete without a visit to the
enchanting Birla Mandir.
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