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Lakshminarayan Temple Chamba, Himachal Pradesh
 Regarded as the oldest as well as the largest one in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, the Laxmi Narayan Temple attracts a whole lot of visitors. The six temples in the Laxmi Narayan Temple complex are arranged from north to south and are dedicated to either Shiva or Vishnu. There are also some other temples housed in the complex which together make it extremely attractive. These other shrines include the temple of Radha Krishna, Shiva Temple of Chandergupta and Gauri Shankar Temple.
Though built in the 10th century,
the Laxmi Narayan Temple continued
to be decorated by rajas who
occupied the throne of Chamba
afterwards. For example Raja
Balabhadra Verma added the
metallic image of Garuda on a high
pillar at the main gate of the
temple while Raja Chhatra Singh
contributed the gilded pinnacles
on the temple tops. The latter was
done as a protest against the
orders of Aurangzeb to destroy the
temple.
The Legend of Laxmi Narayan
Temple
The legend of the temple states
that Raja Sahil Verma, who
constructed this temple, sent nine
of his sons to the Vindhyas
mountains to get marble which was
suitable for the construction of
the Vishnu idol. The marble
brought contained a frog. This was
considered inauspicious and the
sons were again sent to bring back
the marble slab. However, all the
sons got killed while on their way
back. The king did not give up and
sent his eldest son to fetch the
marble. He was also attacked by
the robbers, but with the help of
a saint he managed to both save
himself and kill his attackers.
Yugkara, the eldest prince
returned successfully with the
required slab which was used to
make the image of Lord Vishnu in
the temple.
Architecture of the Temple
The Laxmi Narayan Temple is
constructed in the Shikhara style.
There is Bimana (Shikhara),
garbhgriha and also a mandapa like
structure. The wooden chattris and
the shell roofs reflect the
climactic condition of the place
where snowfall is quiet expected.
Timings of the Temple
The Lakshmi Narayan Temple complex
is opened first between 6 am to
12.30 pm and then from 2.30 to
8.30 pm. |
The Laxminarayan temple, one of the three most important temples in Orchha is an interesting tourist attraction of the place. It displays a perfect and unique mix of temple and fort architecture. Though the temple is dedicated the Goddess Laxmi, there is no idol of the Goddess kept inside the temple. 
The Laxmi Narayan Mandir (temple) built by
B.D. Birla is a modern Hindu temple dedicated to Laxmi (goddess of wealth) and Narayana (the preserver). It was inaugurated by Gandhi with the stipulation that it should be open to all castes (including the untouchables) and all faiths, so it is more welcoming to foreigners than the average temple.
