01Gandhi’s condition
The industrialist Baldeo Das Birla and his son Jugal Kishore Birla built the temple between 1933 and 1939; the foundation stone was laid by Maharaja Udaybhan Singh of Dholpur. The architect was Sris Chandra Chatterjee, who drew on the Odisha temple form for the tall curved shikharas, and the work was done by craftsmen brought from Varanasi under Pandit Vishwanath Shastri. Gandhi agreed to open it only if the doors were open to all Hindus, including those then shut out of temples, and he opened it in 1939 with that condition written in. A board at the gate still says all are welcome.
02Shrines and gardens
The main shrine holds Lakshmi Narayan; side shrines are of Shiva and of Durga, and a separate hall honours the Buddha. The walls carry verses from the Gita and the Upanishads and paintings of scenes from the Itihasas. Behind the temple are gardens with fountains and an artificial hill. Janmashtami is the great festival, when queues run the length of Mandir Marg.
The life of this place
- 1933Maharaja Udaybhan Singh of Dholpur lays the foundation stone.
- 1939Mahatma Gandhi opens the temple on condition that it admit Hindus of every caste.
On Mandir Marg, about 2 km west of Connaught Place; the nearest Metro is RK Ashram Marg. Phones are deposited at the gate.
