Uttara Swami Malai Temple, popularly known as Malai Mandir (literally, Hill Temple in Tamil), is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hi ...

complex in

New Delhi, India New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

located on the affluent Palam Marg primarily dedicated to Lord Swaminatha (more commonly known as Lord Murugan), most revered by the religious Hindus of Tamil and other South Indian community in the city. One can easily reach this temple by metro, nearest metro station is Vasant Vihar which is around 2 km away from there.

Architecture

The main temple within the complex, formally called Sree Swaminatha Swami Temple, houses the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Swaminatha. It is situated atop a small hillock in Sector-7

R.K. Puram Ramakrishna Puram popularly known as R.K. Puram, is a residential colony in Delhi. Named after the saint Sri Ramakrishna, it houses many high-profile corporate houses. History Rama Krishna Puram area was built in the second phase of the ext ...

and overlooking Vasant Vihar in South West Delhi. This is in keeping with the tradition of locating Murugan temples on hills. The sign outside the main temple is written in Tamil, proclaiming Lord Swaminatha's motto, "''Yaamirukka Bayamain''" (யாமிருக்க பயமேன்) meaning "Why fear when I am there?". The temple is built entirely of granite, and is reminiscent of the

Chola The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century B ...

style Tamil

Architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

. Besides the main Swaminatha Swami Temple, the complex contains temples dedicated to Sree Karpaga Vinayagar (elder brother of Lord Swaminatha), Sree Sundareswarar (father of Lord Swaminatha) and Devi Meenakshi (mother of Lord Swaminatha). These subsidiary temples draw inspiration from the Pandya style of Tamil Architecture, as can be seen at the historic Meenakshi Amman Temple in

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

, Tamil Nadu. In the Hindu religion, the peacock is considered Lord Swaminatha's mount or

vahana ''Vahana'' ( sa, वाहन, or animal vehicle, literally "that which carries, that which pulls") denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical, a particular Hindus, Hindu God is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vahana ...

. Accordingly, the temple has adopted a peacock as its pet. This peacock can be seen and heard among the trees and foliage within the temple compound. People from various backgrounds visit the temple.

History

*8 September 1965 The foundation stone for the temple is laid by

M. Bhakthavatsalam Minjur Bhakthavatsalam (9 October 1897 – 13 February 1987) was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the chief minister of Madras State from 2 October 1963 to 6 March 1967. He was the last Congress chief minister of Ta ...

, Chief Minister of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...

, at a function held under the presidency of Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri, then Prime Minister of India. *7 June 1973 The main temple for Lord Swaminatha - Sree Swaminatha Swami Temple - is consecrated and a Mahakumbhabhishekham performed. *13 June 1990 The temples for Sree Karpaga Vinayakar, Sree Sundareswarar and Devi Meenakshi are consecrated and Mahakumbhabhishekhams performed. A Jeeranoddharana Kumbhabhishekham for the Lord Swaminatha temple is also performed on the same day. *7 July 1995 The

Navagraha Navagraha are nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on Earth according to Hinduism and Hindu astrology. The term is derived from ''nava'' ( sa, नव "nine") and ''graha'' ( sa, ग्रह "planet, seizing, laying hold of, ...

temple (nine planets), along with a small temple for Idumban Swami, is consecrated and Kumbhabhishekham performed. *9 November 1997 The

Adi Sankara Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shanka ...

Hall is inaugurated. *27 June 2001 The third Punaruddharana, Ashtabandhana and Swarna-Rajatha Bandhana Mahakumbhabhishekham of the temples are performed by H.H. Kanchi Kamakoti Peethadhipati Sri Jayendra Saraswati Swamigal. H.H.

Sri Vijayendra Saraswati Swamigal Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Marathi, Malay (including Indonesian and Malaysian), Javanes ...

also participates in the yagna pooja on the night of 25 June 2001.

References

External links

* {{Hindu temples in Delhi Hindu temples in Delhi Murugan temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 1973 South Delhi district 20th-century architecture in India