As the days near the end of this magnificent trip, I decided a trip to the mandir (temple) is a must. The Birla Temple, built in the 1970s, is one of the major tourist attractions in Kolkata. This would be my second time visiting it.
Located in the rather elite locality of Ballygunge, the Birla Temple looms over the main road with its beautiful carvings etched intricately on marble. We were asked to leave our bags and cameras outside before entering the temple. Stepping into the serene and spacious hall, there stood Lord Krishna and Radha dressed in bright red at the very centre. Several people stood in front of the idols, a few entranced by the magnificent aura, while others deep in prayer. Walking over to the right side, a smaller 'mandir' housed Lord Shiva, destroyer of evil. On the left side stood Goddess Durga, the Goddess of Power. I folded my hands in prayer completely in awe by the dramatic display of Hinduism in front of me.
The beauty of temples in India is that each and every one is unique in its architecture, color, and the deities themselves. There is always a huge mob of people surrounding each deity also. This intense faith amongst Hindus in the multiple gods and goddesses is truly fascinating.
Located in the rather elite locality of Ballygunge, the Birla Temple looms over the main road with its beautiful carvings etched intricately on marble. We were asked to leave our bags and cameras outside before entering the temple. Stepping into the serene and spacious hall, there stood Lord Krishna and Radha dressed in bright red at the very centre. Several people stood in front of the idols, a few entranced by the magnificent aura, while others deep in prayer. Walking over to the right side, a smaller 'mandir' housed Lord Shiva, destroyer of evil. On the left side stood Goddess Durga, the Goddess of Power. I folded my hands in prayer completely in awe by the dramatic display of Hinduism in front of me.The beauty of temples in India is that each and every one is unique in its architecture, color, and the deities themselves. There is always a huge mob of people surrounding each deity also. This intense faith amongst Hindus in the multiple gods and goddesses is truly fascinating.
I bowed my head in front of the 'pandit' (or priest) to accept the offerings, took one last look at the idols in front of me, and then turned around. A truly mesmerizing experience, I stepped out of the temple thankful for this wonderful trip.
Birla temple is the nice temple. I think it is present in every capital of every state in India. Nice sculpturing and nice entrance photo.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing post on your trip to Birla mandir. It is a temple built by the industrialist Birla family. On Janmashtami Birla Mandir Kolkata , note large number of devotees coming from far away places to pay their respect to the deities.
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