Lakshmi-Narayan Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Lakshmi.
In Delhi, just west of Connaught Place, you will find this contemporary temple.
Ghanshyamdas Birla, the father of a major business family,
erected it in 1938.
Despite the fact that the temple is devoted to the deity
Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi, it is known as the "Birla tem ple"
after its patron.
This devotion is hardly unexpected, given that Lakshmi is
the goddess of prosperity and the temple was erected by a businessman.
Apart from his religious ties, Ghanshyamdas Birla was a key
financial backer of the Indian National Congress, the political organization
headed by Mohandas Gandhi that fought for Indian independence.
The temple has been accessible to people of all castes and
communities from the day it was established, sustaining one of Gandhi's most
fundamental crusades: the rejection of untouchability.
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