Loz12 at 06:39, 23 October 2025

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{{Short description|Indian industrialist (1883–1967)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
'''Jugal Kishore Birla''' (23 May 1883– 24 June 1967) was a scion of the [[Birla family]] and the eldest son of [[Baldeo Das Birla]]. He was a noted industrialist, philanthropist and vocal supporter of Hindu philosophy.<ref name=a>{{cite book |author1=Margaret Herdeck |author2=Gita Piramal |date=1985 |title=India's Industrialists|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xcbBEHHI-90C&pg=PA62 |publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers |page=62 |isbn=978-0-89410-415-2}}</ref>

==Life==
He started his business career at an early age, joining his father in [[Calcutta]] and soon came to be known as reputed trader and speculator in [[Opium trade|opium]], silver, spice and other trades from which the Birlas later diversified into trading of jute and other items like cotton during and after the First World War, by which time his younger brother [[Ghanshyam Das Birla]] had also joined the business. The family firm, which was until 1918 run as Baldeodas Jugalkishore, was made into a limited company known as [[Birla Brothers Limited]].<ref name=a/><ref name=gd>{{cite web |url=http://www.slideshare.net/agrawalpeeyush19/g-d-birla |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102183834/http://www.slideshare.net/agrawalpeeyush19/g-d-birla |archive-date= 2 November 2011 |url-status=dead |title=G d birla |website=SlideShare |accessdate=14 August 2015 }}</ref>

At one point, Ghanshyam Das Birla suffered heavy losses and decided to sell the mill to the [[Andrew Yule and Company Ltd.|Andrew Yule group]]. Jugal Kishore stood by him and told him not to worry about money but to run the mill as efficiently as he could, which led to a revival of [[Birla Corporation|Birla Jute]],<ref name=gd/> now the flagship company of [[M.P Birla Group]].

Although Birla started his business life in Calcutta, he later moved to [[Delhi]] and lived in [[Birla House]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://prabhupadaletters.com/?g=163828 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131231508/http://prabhupadaletters.com/?g=163828 |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 January 2013 |title=Srila Prabhupada's Original pre-1978 Books Online |publisher=Prabhupada Books |accessdate=19 September 2014 }}</ref> until his death. [[Lakshmi Niwas Birla]], the eldest son of G D Birla, was adopted by him.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kudaisya |first=Medha M. |title=The Life and Times of G.D. Birla |date=2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-564572-9 |pages=xvi,194,414 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MTNuAAAAMAAJ&q=Lakshmi+Niwas+Birla |access-date=11 September 2022 |via=Google Bookss}}</ref>

==Philanthropist==
Having no children, Birla devoted much time and money to charity, building numerous temples, the Kolkata Medical College, Marwadi Balika Vidyalaya in Kolkata for girls and numerous other such institutions. A devout Hindu, he was also the moving force behind the building of many of the early [[Birla Mandir]]s across India, including the first in Delhi, and those in Kolkata and Bhopal. Supporting ''gaushalas'' (cow shelters) and ''pinjrapols'' (animal and bird feeding mangers) was another cause dear to his heart. He also donated money to various Hindu causes and organisations, including [[Hindu Mahasabha]] and [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://vhp.org/organization/org-second-meeting-of-the-parishad |title=Second Meeting of the Parishad |publisher=Vishva Hindu Parishad |accessdate=19 September 2014 |archive-date=11 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011230633/http://vhp.org/organization/org-second-meeting-of-the-parishad |url-status=dead }} - {{cite book |author=Joya Chatterji |date=2002 |title=Bengal Divided: Hindu Communalism and Partition, 1932–1947 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iDNAQcoVqoMC&pg=PA236 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=236 |isbn=978-0-521-52328-8 |via=Google Books }} - {{cite book |author=M. G. Chitkara |date=2004 |title=Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh: National Upsurge |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ifuxzl9NM5sC&pg=PA257 |publisher=APH Publishing |page=257 |isbn=978-81-7648-465-7 |via=Google Books }} - {{cite book |author=Dhananjay Keer |date=1995 |title=Dr. Ambedkar: Life and Mission |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B-2d6jzRmBQC&pg=PA277 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |page=277 |isbn=978-81-7154-237-6 |via=Google Books }}</ref> at the same time supporting the finances of [[Mahatma Gandhi]], the [[Indian National Congress]] and India's freedom movement,<ref>{{cite book |author=Joseph S. Alter |date=1992 |title=The Wrestler's Body: Identity and Ideology in North India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EMu1xKEWBt4C&pg=PA88 |publisher=University of California Press |page=88 |isbn=978-0-520-91217-5 |via=Google Books}}</ref> which were looked after together by Ghanshaymdas Birla and others.<ref name=x>{{cite book |author=Anand Mohun Sinha |date=2011 |title=Unspoken History of India of Six-Thousand Years |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cip-3w1SGWAC&pg=PA208 |publisher=AuthorHouse |page=208 |isbn=978-1-4520-9769-5 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=K. Satchidananda Murty |author2=Ashok Vohra |date=1990 |title=Radhakrishnan: His Life and Ideas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=imPXMrFj_-wC&pg=PA100 |publisher=SUNY Press |page=100 |isbn=978-0-7914-0344-0}}</ref>

In 1920, with his brother Ghanshaym Das, he donated funds to start a girls' school under their private trust called Marwari Balika Vidyalaya, which has now grown into the noted [[Shri Shikshayatan School]] and [[Shri Shikshayatan College]].<ref name=sy>{{cite web |url=http://www.shrishikshayatanschool.com/aboutus-60_About%20School.htm |title=About School |publisher=Shri Shikshayatan School |accessdate=19 September 2014 |archive-date=30 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140930203035/http://www.shrishikshayatanschool.com/aboutus-60_About%20School.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

He was a devoted follower of Gandhi and took a personal interest as well as donating funds for relief and charity works.<ref>{{cite book |author=Debi P. Mishra |date=1998 |title=People's Revolt in Orissa: A Study of Talcher |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W8GXSR0SiF8C&pg=PA138 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist |page=138 |isbn=978-81-7156-739-3 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

He spent much of his personal wealth in building Hindu temples known as [[Birla Temple]]s and ''[[Dharamshala (type of building)|dharamshala]]s'' across the major metropolitan towns of India and the promotion of schools, universities and hospitals,<ref name=x/><ref name=t>{{cite web |url=http://www.radhekrishn.com/mathura-temple/birla-gita.php |title=Birla Temple Mathura also known as Gita Temple was founded by Jugal Kishore Birla in 1946 |accessdate=19 September 2014 |archive-date=27 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327011902/http://www.radhekrishn.com/mathura-temple/birla-gita.php |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=vk>{{cite web |url=http://www.esamskriti.com/essay-chapters/The-Story-of-the-Vivekananda-Rock-Memorial-5.aspx |title=The Story of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial |accessdate=19 September 2014}}</ref> and adopting many villages in times of famine and natural disasters.<ref>{{cite book |title=History of Sirsa Town |year=1991 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G0Z457ZOR44C&pg=PA138 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distri |page=138 |via=Google Books }} - {{cite web |url=http://www.kurukshetra.nic.in/tour/Religious/tirath/Kurukshetra/birlamandir/index.htm |title=Birla Temple at Kurukshetra established in 1952 by Jugal Kishore Birla |accessdate=19 September 2014 |archive-date=24 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524100232/http://www.kurukshetra.nic.in/tour/Religious/tirath/Kurukshetra/birlamandir/index.htm |url-status=dead }} - {{cite web |url=http://maharajji.com/Delhi-Yamuna/north-delhi-hanuman-temple.html |title=North Delhi Hanuman Temple founded by Jugal Kishore Birla in 1965 |accessdate=19 September 2014 |archive-date=20 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820054442/http://maharajji.com/Delhi-Yamuna/north-delhi-hanuman-temple.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=mr>{{cite book |author=S. B. Bhattacherje |date=2009 |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Events & Dates |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oGVSvXuCsyUC&pg=SL1-PA178 |publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd |page=A178 |isbn=978-81-207-4074-7 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

In his old age, he took the leading role to fulfill the unfinished dream of [[Madan Mohan Malaviya]] of building [[Kesava Deo Temple|Krishna Janmabhoomi Kesava Deo Temple]]. He donated a major sum and formed a private trust in 1951 to which the rights of land were later transferred, and temple works were inaugurated in 1965, for which he is remembered by Hindus.<ref name=kj>{{cite web |title=Shri Krishna Janmasthan |url=http://shrikrishnajanmasthan.net/history.html |publisher=Shri Krishna Janmasthan Trust |accessdate=24 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904230906/http://shrikrishnajanmasthan.net/history.html |archive-date=4 September 2015 |url-status=dead }} - {{cite web|url=http://www.indiastudychannel.com/resources/154112-Tourism-A-journey-Mathura-Braj-Mandal-Radha-Krishna.aspx|title=Tourism: A journey to Mathura- the Braj Mandal of Radha and Krishna|date=30 July 2012|publisher=IndiaStudyChannel.com|accessdate=19 September 2014|archive-date=11 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911075424/http://www.indiastudychannel.com/resources/154112-Tourism-A-journey-Mathura-Braj-Mandal-Radha-Krishna.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> He also donated initial funds for the building of [[Vivekananda Rock Memorial]] and arranged for further funds for the project from his brothers, the construction of which, however, began several years after his death.<ref name=vk/>

Birla died in 1967<ref name=a/> and left his wealth to religious trusts and philanthropy and for his adopted son L N Birla.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tehelka.com/story_main9.asp?filename=Ne122504Splitsville.asp |title=Splitsville: the business of family feuds |author=Naresh Minocha |work=Tehelka |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122070718/http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main9.asp?filename=Ne122504Splitsville.asp |archivedate=22 November 2015|accessdate=3 December 2023}}</ref>

===Some noted philanthropic works===
* Founded the trust in 1951, which built the famous [[Kesava Deo Temple|Krishna Janmabhoomi Kesava Deo Temple]] at [[Mathura]].<ref name=kj/>
* North Delhi Hanuman Temple founded in 1965.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://maharajji.com/Ashrams-Temples/ |title=Ashrams & Temples |accessdate=19 September 2014 |archive-date=6 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806062814/http://maharajji.com/Ashrams-Temples/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Laxminarayan Temple|Shri Laxmi Narayan Temple]], Delhi founded in 1939.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hdfcbank.com/personal/donate-online/religious-offering-inner/1323254400 |title=Religious offerings |publisher=HDFC Bank |accessdate=19 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703142515/http://www.hdfcbank.com/personal/donate-online/religious-offering-inner/1323254400 |archivedate=3 July 2014 }}</ref>
* Birla Temple, Varanasi
* Birla Temple (Gita Temple), [[Mathura]] founded in 1946<ref name=t/>
* [[Shri Shikshayatan School]] which later grew into [[Shri Shikshayatan College]] of [[Kolkata]] was founded in 1920.<ref name=sy/>
* Marwari Relief Society, Kolkata founded in 1913.<ref name=mr/>
* Birla Hostel at [[Benaras Hindu University]] founded in 1920.<ref name="bhu">{{cite web |url=http://bhu.ac.in/arts/hostel.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205100219/http://www.bhu.ac.in/arts/hostel.htm |archive-date=5 February 2011 |url-status=dead |title=Contact |publisher=Benaras Hindu University|accessdate=14 August 2015 }}</ref>
* Birla Temple, [[Kurukshetra]] founded in 1950.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hindu.com/mag/2003/12/07/stories/2003120700490700.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040507042109/http://www.hindu.com/mag/2003/12/07/stories/2003120700490700.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 May 2004 |work=[[The Hindu]] |title=In a time warp |date=2003-12-07 |accessdate=19 September 2014}}</ref>
* Dev Mandir, [[Bangkok]] - donated funds for marble slabs of the temple, which was inaugurated in 1969.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://devmandirbangkok.com/inside.php |title=Thep Montien – Inside Dev Mandir |accessdate=19 September 2014 |archive-date=25 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325143619/http://www.devmandirbangkok.com/inside.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Nipponzan Myohoji Temple, [[Mumbai]] – purchased land for building of this [[Buddhist]] temple.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.indiavideo.org/maharashtra/travel/nipponzan-myohoji-buddhist-temple-3265.php |title=Nipponzan Myohoji temple, Mumbai, Bombay, Maharashtra, India, Video |work=IndiaVideo |accessdate=19 September 2014}}</ref>
* Lord Krishan Temple, [[Mathura]] built in 1946 in memory of his parents.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://indiaforyou.in/spirituality/mathura.php |title=Lord Krishna Temple, Mathura – History |accessdate=19 September 2014 |archive-date=21 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821140420/http://indiaforyou.in/spirituality/mathura.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Paramjyotir Mandir, Barobagh, Himachal Pradesh – donated huge amount of money on request of his friend Stokes, who founded the temple.<ref>{{cite book |author=Asha Sharma |date=2008 |title=An American in Gandhi's India: The Biography of Satyanand Stokes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WVzxpUOzV_0C&pg=PA287 |publisher=Indiana University Press |page=287 |isbn=978-0-253-21990-9 |via=Google Books}}</ref>
* Donated funds and arranged further monies from Birla group for building of the [[Vivekananda Rock Memorial]]<ref name=vk/>

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birla, Jugal Kishore}}
[[Category:20th-century Indian philanthropists]]
[[Category:Rajasthani people]]
[[Category:Birla family|Jugal Kishore]]
[[Category:1883 births]]
[[Category:1967 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Hindus]]
[[Category:Founders of Indian schools and colleges]]
[[Category:Gandhians]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Kolkata]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Delhi]]
[[Category:People from Jhunjhunu district]]
[[Category:Indian businesspeople in the textile industry]]

Jugal Kishore Birla - Revision history

Loz12 at 06:39, 23 October 2025