Headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math in Kolkata
Kolkata, the city of Joy where it is the festive season or a normal day, Kolkata celebrates each day of a year. One on side one can find intellectual people conversing about the literature and trending topics. Other side people are busy mending their lifestyle serving a fixed hour.
Kolkata knows how to enjoy the bits and pieces of life. Away from the energetic vibes of the city, Belur Math is the serene place where one will love to stare at the beautiful Hooghly river.
What is special about Belur Math?
Sprawling of over forty acres land on the bank of Hooghly River. Belur Math in Kolkata is the place that serves the headquarters of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. If you love serenity and tranquility perhaps this is the place which imbues in and out!
The history behind the establishment of Belur Math
The year 1897 Swami Vivekanand disciple of Ramakrishna arrived Kolkata with a small group. In that very year, Swami Vivekananda established two monasteries one at Belur( the headquarters of Ramkrishna Math and Mission). The other at Mayavati on the Himalayas, Uttarkhand. The monasteries were instituted to preach young men who want to become a monk of the Ramakrishna Mission.
The Parivrajaka phase, Swami Vivekananda visited many places like the Taj Mahal, Fatepur Sikri, Diwan-i-Khas in Rajasthan, ancient temples of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
The tour to America and Europe where he came across monuments with influential structures of gothic, medieval and renaissance styles. To conceptualize the design of the Math it was because of these tours which helped him.
Swami Vijnanananda one of the monastic disciples of Ramakrishna designed the temple in his pre-monastic civil engineering days. The year 1935 marked the foundation stone.
In and around
Belur Math enshrines some of the ancient temples dedicated to Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda. Apart from its pilgrimage surroundings, Belur Math conducts various activities. Math conducts many activities like medical service, education, work for women and employment to the laboring and backward classes.
Best Time to Visit
One of the most interesting time to visit is the annual birthdays of Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda. Visit Kolkata during the Durga Puja to witness the Kumari Puja conducted in Belur Math. The occasion attracts various tourists all over the world.
Young Girl is symbolized as a divinity on the 8th Day or Ashtami of Durga Puja underlying the meaning of Kumari Puja.
And if you want to avoid the rush, the winter season is the most preferable time to visit. As the warm weather makes the place more enjoyable.
It is a no-entry-fee place.
Adjoining Places
If you are planning a day to visit Belur Math and its area there are many places that will imbue the spiritual divinity. Dakshineswar Kali Temple situated on the eastern bank of Hooghly river is must visit. The unique architecture and the serenity will amaze you.
If you want to spend your evening sitting beside the Ganges Belur Math Ganga Par is your destination. The Panoramic view of the Belur Math Ganga Par is the best site to spend for.
Jorasanko Thakur Bari is a mile away from Belur Math (8.7 km by road) which is the ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore. Perhaps one of the enjoyable places if you are a lover of history and Bengali literature.
How to Reach
It is an approachable way to travel. To reach the place one can take a cab from the Howrah Railway Station. If you want to experience the ferry ride, there are successive time slots from Dakshineswar to Belur Math. 6 am to 12 pm and 4 pm to 9 pm is the time slots where you can visit the place.
If you want to experience the Old Calcutta and its lifestyle and ambiance, Belur Math and its surroundings are the best places. An essence of reliving is acquired. Where people seek serenity, such places embark on their existence.
