Pilani
Once a small village is famous for being the hometown of the premier business
and industrial family the Birlas. The town is also for its The Birla Institute
of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani is an all-India Institute for
higher education. Its engineering college is reputed to be the top ten colleges
in India.
Late Mr G.D. Birla - an eminent industrialist and an associate of Mahatma
Gandhi, founded the Institute. Other places of interest are The BITS Museum,
Shiva Ganga, Saraswati temple and the Pachwati. Pilani is connected by bus
and road from Delhi and Jaipur and the nearest railhead is Chirawa. Pilani
also has good hotel accommodations.
Sharda Temple at Pilani- Rajasthan
The Sharda temple at Pilani, Rajasthan is a twentieth century modern
temple, built by the philanthropist G.D. Birla. It is a temple dedicated
solely to Saraswathi and is located in the heart of the Vidya Vihar campus
at Birla Institute of Technology.
Architecturally it follows the North Indian or the Indo-Aryan scheme of
temple construction and is a replica in marble of the Khandariya Mahadeo
temple at Khajuraho. The temple stands on 70 pillars and has five distinct
sections namely the Garbha-Griha or the Sanctum Sanctorum, the Pradakshinapatha
or the circumambulatory path, the Antarala or the intermediate chamber between
the Garba Griha and the Mandapam, and the Ardha Mandapa - or the entrance
portico.
The entire structure is situated on a 7 feet high basement and is about
25000 sq feet in area. The marble used in construction was brought from
Makrana, also in Rajasthan.
The basement of the sanctum is covered with rows of figures sculptured
in relief. The shikhara or the pyramidal tower above the sanctum rises
to a height of 110 feet. The ceiling of the sanctum is adorned with magnificient
carvings. The shikharas are crowned with kalashas, made of copper, plated
with gold.
The interior of the temple is decorated with several figures. Inclined figures
with hands raised upward in a beautiful posture of supporting the ceiling,
decorate the brackets on top of the pillars in the temple.
The exterior of the temple is also decorated with designs, and figures of
philosophers, saints and scientists thereby reflecting the cosmopolitan
nature of the monument and the vision of the builders to bridge the gulf
between spirituality and modern scientific thought and technological advances.
Shekhawati Tourism
Baggar |
Bissau |
Dundlod
|
Fatehpur |
Jhunjhunu
|
Khatu Shyam ji |
Mandawa
|
Mukundgarh |
Nawalgarh
|
Parasrampuria |
Pilani
|
Salasar Balaji
Shekhawati Tourism, Destinations Reservation
Form