Birla Mandir is a charming temple built entirely in marble with great architectural built on a 280 feet high hillock called Naubath Pahad on a 13 acre plot. The construction took 10 years and it was opened in 1976 by Swami Ranganathananda of the Ramakrishna Mission. The temple was constructed by the Birla Foundation, and it is dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara Swamy.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu present in the form of Sri Venkateshwara. One can find the kirtanas of Tyagaraja, Annamayya, and Ramadasu reverberating against the backdrop of a blue sky in the morning. The temple combines the architectural styles of Utkal (Oriya) and the South Indian style. The Rajagopuram represents South Indian architectural style while the tower over the main shrine, also called the Jagadananda Vimanam represents the Oriyan style.
It was Constructed using a whooping 2000 tons of pure white marble. The 42-feet high sanctum sanctorum (garbha gudi) is an impressive replica of the Venkateshwara temple at Tirumala. The statute of Lord Venkateswara Swamy is built in black granite stone and stands 11 feet tall with a tangled carved lotus shaped canopy for the deity. The brass flagpole of the temple rises to a height of 42 feet.
Apart from the main shrine, the consorts of Lord Venkateswara, Padmavati and Andal are housed in separate shrines. The temple also has separate shrines for various Hindu gods and goddess including Shiva, Shakti, Ganesh, Hanuman, Brahma, Saraswati,Lakshmi and Saibaba. There are finely sculpted carvings, in the adjoining “Mukha Mandapam”-portraying exotic scenes from the great epics of Ramayana and Mahabaratha on marble stone.
The idols of “Padmavati” and ‘Andal”, consorts of the presinding deity are placed in separate shrines. The unique feature of the Birla Madir is the integration of southern and northern style of architecture . The rituals carried out in the Birla Mandir are mainly based on the ‘Agama Shastras' of Hinduism, the “Pancharatra Agama” in particular.
