Agnieszka Staszczyk
The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. New Series, 4 (2/2016), 2016, pp. 93-107
Agnieszka Staszczyk
The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. New Series, 3 (1/2016), 2016, pp. 149-170
Agnieszka Staszczyk
Studia Religiologica, Volume 54 Issue 2, 2021, pp. 109-129
https://doi.org/10.4467/20844077SR.21.007.14198The fundraising activity initiated by the Birla family in India resulted in the construction of more than 20 Hindu temples, commonly referred to as the Birla Mandirs. Although they vary in terms of architectural forms and iconographic programs it seems, that one basic and common theme remains - to show reformed Hinduism as a religion that is the pillar of the identity of the people of New India. It is understood at the same time as separate but also higher than other great religions, yet assuring a place within its confines for all of them. It is – as the authors argue in this paper - the practical realization of the thought expressed in the Ṛgveda(I 164.46) and repeatedly referred to in the Birla temples as ‘ekam sad viprā bahudhā vadanti’, which seems to be the motto of all foundations of the Birla family.