Lakshmi Narayana Temple in Bhopal
¤ Dedicated To Goddess Lakshmi
The Lakshmi Narayana Temple on the Arera Hills commands a panoramic
view of Bhopal, and is also known as the Birla Temple because the
Birlas, one of leading industrial families of India, have built it.
The temple is built in honour of Lakshmi, the Hindu Goddess of Wealth,
and her divine consort, Vishnu, the Preserver of the Universe, who is
also known as Narayana.
Apart from idols of Goddess Lakshmi and Narayana, the temple also has
a resplendent idol of a reclining Shiva with his wife, Parvati.
Attached to the temple is the Birla Museum that houses a collection of
sculptures from the Mandsaur, Shahdol, Sehore and Raisen districts of
Madhya Pradesh.
The collection dates back to the 12th century era of the
Paramaras when art and culture flourished in the state.
The sandy-yellowish temple has an old-worldly charm about it, with a
huge turret on one side of the building. You enter the temple through
a magnificent archway, and the sprawling lawns that surround the
complex lend it a picturesque appeal.
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