Birla Temple - Hyderabad

The Way of Andhra Life

It wont be wrong to say that Andhra Pradesh is more visited by pilgrims, than by tourists. And most of the tourists who come to the state, are here to explore the many magnificent temples. Andhra Pradesh is home to the richest and second most visited religious place in the world. Just like temples in other South Indian states, temples of Andhra Pradesh are also magnificent in architecture and exquisite to look at. Though Lord Venkateshwara Temple in Tirupati is the most prominent religious place in the state, there are many other places as well that are hugely famous among pilgrims. Amaravati on the banks of River Krishna is an important pilgrim destination for both Hindus as well as Buddhists. Lord Amareswara Temple makes it a must visit for Hindus and one of the oldest Buddhist sites makes it appealing to Buddhist pilgrims. Here you will find the largest Buddhist stupa in India. Srisailam is a major place of worship as it is home to one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Being among the most ancient temples in South India, it is a temple revered by both Hindus and Buddhists. Hyderabad is a state that is dominated by Muslim population, so you will find many places important to Muslims. The most important without a doubt is the Mecca Masjid which is situated quite close to the famous Charminar.

Lord Venkateswara Temple, Tirupati

Lord Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati requires no introduction to any Hindu in any part of the world. Situated on Tirumala Hill, 10 Km away from Tirupati, the temple is the second most visited worshiping place after The Vatican. The temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara and according to the legends, the idol of Lord Vishnu is self manifested. The temple is the richest religious place in the world by the virtue of offerings and gifts presented by millions of pilgrims visiting the temple.

Birla Temple, Hyderabad

Dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara, Birla Temple in Hyderabad is one of the most visited temples in Andhra Pradesh. Built by the famous industrialist Birlas, it is completely built of marble brought from Rajasthan. It is situated on a hill known as Kala Pahad and is close to other attractions of the city like the Hussain Sagar Lake and overlooks Tankbund. The best time to get a look of the temple is during the late evening when it is completely illuminated. If you have been to temples of South India and North India, then you will notice the amalgamation of the styles employed in North India temples and South India temples. The inner shrine in the temple is an exact replica of that in Tirupati Temple. See the beautiful carvings on the temple which are also engraved with verses from Ramayana.

Amaravati

Amaravati is important to both Hindus and Buddhists as there are places that are worshiped by people of both religions. There is a huge temple dedicated to Lord Shiva apart from many beautiful Buddhist sculptures. Situated by the banks of River Krishna, the place is considered sacred and is said to have 'sthalamahatyam'. The main deities of the temple here are Lord Amareswara and his consort Goddess Bala Chamundika. Lord Shiva here is the form of Five Lingas named as Pranaveswara, Agasteswara, Kosaleswara, Someswara, and Parthiveswara. The architecture of the temple is in Dravidian style and has a 15 feet high Shivalingam covered by well carved gopurams and 'Vimana'. Amaravati is also one of the oldest Buddhist site in India and has the largest Stupa in India.

Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad

Situated just few yards southwest of Charminar, Mecca Masjid is among the most revered site for Muslims in Andhra Pradesh. The mosque is named Mecca Masjid, because the bricks for building the central arch were brought from Mecca. The construction of the Mosque was started by the Qutb Shahis in 1617, but they could not finish the building. It was later completed in the year 1694 by Aurangazeb. It is considered sacred because it houses many religious relics along with a hair of Prophet Mohammad. The main attraction of the mosque is the grand main hall that is 75 feet high, 220 feet wide, and 180 feet long. There are 15 arches overall with 5 on each side. On the southern side of the mosque,there are the marble graves of Nizam Ali Khan and the families of Asaf Jahi dynasty.

Many of the pilgrims flock to Andhra Pradesh to visit the most famous Hindu temple in the world, Lord Venkateshwara Temple in Tirupati to get his blessings, but what they get here is much more than just his blessings. The trip to Andhra Pradesh turns out to be a soul searching experience for some and search of divine for many.

 

Hyderabad is a land of temples. A famous land of the devotees from all over India visit Hyderabad to see the temples, mosques, etc. Some of the famous Temples of Hyderabad District are
Visweswaraalayam Temple
Location: Kolanupaka, Hyderabad
Deity: Lord Shiva

This temple is mentioned in the sthalapuranas as Bimbavathipura, Somasekharapura, and Vyakhyanagara etc. This is located near a holy well Kasibugga. This water is called apara Gangajala and the Sivalinga, apara Kasi Visweswara linga. Hence this place is named Dakshinakasi. Many ponds are found here and so it is called Kolanupaka. The linga is self- manifested and is called Kotilinga. It is four and a half feet in height, and four feet in circumference. It is adorned with thousand of small lingas carved around it forming a chain. This linga is mentioned in the puranas appeared as a gold linga in Kritayuga, silver in Treta Yuga, copper in Dwapara yuga and granite in Kaliyuga. This temple was built by King Kumara Someswara of Kalyani Chalukya dynasty. The temple is at Kolanupaka, 25 km off Bhuvanagiri.

Yadagiri Gutta Temple
Location: Rajgir, Hyderabad
Deity: Lakshmi Narasimha Swami

Yadagiri Gutta enshrines Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swami as the central deity. Festival: The annual Brahmautsav is conducted with great extravagance. The temple fair is held between the months of March - April.

Birla Mandir at Hyderabad
Deity: Lord Venkateswara
A modern temple built in white marble on a hill. It was consecrated in 1976. The architecture of the temple is a mix of architectural styles. The Rajagopuram is found at the main entrance. The vimana towers over the main shrine and is called the Jagadananda vimanam and is built in Orissa style while the towers over the consort shrine is built in the South Indian style. The brass flagstaff is 42 feet high. The granite image is 11 feet tall with a carved lotus as an umbrella over the image. Many marble carvings can be seen around. The mukha mandapam walls depict scenes from Indian mythology. There are shrines dedicated to Venkateswara Padmavathi and Andal.

 

Anjaneyaswamy Temple is located here

This village is located 13 kilometers away from kanipakkam village, Chittor District

There is a sanjeevini theertham here. Legend has it that when Sri Hanuman carried the Sanjeevi Parvatam to Srilanka some pieces have fallen here.

You can hire a cab from Kanipakkam or Chittor. Nearest airport is Tirupati .

Hyderabad to Chittor trains are available.

Birla Mandir

Location : On Kala Pahad In Hyderabad Presiding deity : Lord Venkateswara (Vishnu). Timing : 7.00 A.M. to 12.00 Noon and 3.00 P.M to 9.00 P.M. Open : all days of the week. About Birla Mandir An enchanting modern Birla Mandir located in south end of Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad, stands atop the Kala Pahad, the twin hillock of the Naubat Pahad. The Birlas (industrialists who have also built several temples in India in this century) built this temple in 1976. This modern enchanting temple dedicated to Lord Venkateswara (Vishnu), constructed with white marbles from Rajasthan. Kausalya supraja Rama poorva sandhya pravartate.. the chanting mantra to arouse the Lord can be heard every morning at around 5.30 am. And as for the evenings, they are a treat to your ears at this hilltop temple.Sweet melodies of cuckoos and the kirtans of Annamayya, Tyagaraja and Ramadas at the backdrop of the orangish-red sky pleasantly soothe your soul. Mixture Architecture Birla Mandir combines the architectural styles of Orissan and South Indian temples. A Rajagopuram built in the South Indian style greets the visitors. The tower over the main shrine of Lord Venkateswara called the "Jagadananda Vimanam" is built in the Orissan style, while the towers over the shrines of the consorts are built in the South Indian style. An exotic scenes from the great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharatha are finely sculpted in marble, the inner shrine of the temple is a replica of the Venkateswara temple at Tirupati. The brass flagstaff rises to a height of 42 feet. The granite image of the presiding deity is about 11ft tall and a carved lotus forms an umbrella for this image. There are several carvings in marble, in the adjoining 'Mukha Mandapam' - depicting scenes from Indian mythology. Other Shrines in the Temple The consorts of Venkateswara, 'Padmavati' and 'Andal' are housed in separate shrines. There is also a temple dedicated to Buddha in this complex with fresco paintings describing his life and work. Birla Mandir offers a spectacular sight when illuminated at night. A tour to Hyderabad is considered incomplete without a visit to the enchanting Birla Mandir.