Birla Mandir, Hyderabad

Birla Mandir is a Hindu temple of white marble on Naubath Pahad, a small hill in Hyderabad. It is dedicated to Venkateshwara, a form of Vishnu, whose image inside stands about 11 ft tall. The temple was conceived by the industrialist B. D. Birla and has been looked after by the Birla Group of Industries since it opened in 1976. It is one of the most visited shrines in the city.

Artisans took more than ten years to finish it. The design mixes Dravidian, Rajasthani and Utkala (Odishan) styles, with carved gopurams and mandapas, 64 decorated pillars and a Rajagopuram about 28 ft high at the entrance. The marble is at its brightest in the late afternoon sun.