Birla Mandir, Hindu temple in Ballygunge, Kolkata, India

Birla Mandir is a Hindu temple on Asutosh Chowdhury Avenue in Ballygunge, Kolkata, built of white marble and sandstone and modelled on the Lingaraj Temple of Bhubaneswar. Its tallest ribbed spire rises at the rear left, with smaller stacked towers before it. A colonnade of square pillars with carved capitals and pierced geometric balustrades runs along the raised platform, reached by steps at the left.

Construction began in 1970 under architect Nomi Bose and took 26 years to complete, with the opening in 1996. The Birla family funded the project as part of their effort to build temples in several Indian cities.

The temple is also called Laxminarayan Mandir and is dedicated to Krishna and Radha, whose statues stand in the main shrine; Durga occupies the left shikhar and Shiva in meditation the right. Stone engravings depict the Bhagavad Gita, and on Janmashtami, Krishna's birthday, devotees come from far away to pay their respects.

The site is located on Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue and opens daily with no admission fee. Visitors should remove shoes before entering prayer areas and wear clothing that covers shoulders and knees.

The architecture borrows from the Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar, combining medieval forms with contemporary construction methods. Craftsmen from Rajasthan brought traditional stone carving techniques that remain visible in the decorative details today.