Birla Planetarium (Hyderabad)

 temple, museum, science

Birla Mandir on the Naubath Pahad is a magnificent Hindu temple of Lord Venkateshwara, entirely built in white marble located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India .

The Birla Foundation has constructed several similar temples in India, all of which are known as Birla Mandir.

The temple manifests a blend of South Indian, Rajasthani and Utkala temple architectures. In its entirety, it is made of 2000 tons of pure Rajasthani white marble.

The granite of the presiding deity is about 11 ft (3.4 m). tall and a carved lotus forms an umbrella on the roof. The consorts of Lord Venkateswara, Padmavati and Andal are housed in separate shrines. There is a brass flagstaff in the temple premises which rises to a height of 42 ft (13 m).The temple is built on a 280 feet (85 m) high hillock called the Naubath Pahad on a 13 acres (53,000 m2) plot. The construction took 10 years and was consecrated in 1976 by Swami Ranganathananda of Ramakrishna Mission. The temple does not have traditional bells, as Swamiji wished that the temple atmosphere should be conducive for meditation. Though the chief deity is Lord Venkateshwara, the temple has pan-Hindu character with deities of Shiva, Shakti, Ganesh, Hanuman, Brahma, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Saibaba. The selected teachings of holy men and Gurbani are engraved on temple walls.

Birla temples are open to all Hindus including dalits, as identified by Mahatma Gandhi and other Hindu leaders as one of the major social evil that was to be reformed in modern India as part of Freedom struggle.

The temple complex overlooking the southern side of Hussain Sagar offers a magnificent panoramic view of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. It presents a colorful and spectacular sight when illuminated at night.

Other nearby structures are Andhra Pradesh Secretariat, Assembly and Birla Planetarium.