Belur Math, Howrah

Calcutta Belur Math was founded in 1938 by Swami Vivekananda, the disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, paying homage to his guru. It is situated at a distance of about 6.4 kms from Howrah Station on the banks of the Hooghly River. This place is very easy to reach, as it is well connected by bus and train. Belur math has an amazingly big prayer hall, where you can find the awesome statue of Ramakrishna. Belur Math of Kolkata, India is a very important pilgrimage place.

Belur math houses a beautiful monastery, several temples and also has the headquarters of Ramakrishna mission. This international tourist attraction place is based on the principle of religious fraternity, as was advocated by Ramakrishna Paramhansa. This is also reflected in the architectural design of Math, which exhibits a blend of temple, church and mosque patterns.

Belur Math, Howrah

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In January 1897, Swami Vivekananda arrived in Colombo with his small group of Western disciples. Two monasteries were founded by him, one at Belur, which became the headquarters of Ramakrishna Mission and the other at Mayavati on the Himalayas, near Almora called the Advaita Ashrama. These monasteries were meant to receive and train young men who would eventually become sanyasis of the Ramakrishna Mission, and to give them training for their work. The same year the philanthropic activity was started and relief of the famine was carried out.

Swami Vivekananda’s days as a wandering monk before his visit to Parliament of Religions, took him through many parts of India and he visited several architectural monuments like the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri palaces, Diwan–I–Khas, palaces of Rajasthan, ancient temples of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and other places. During his tour in America and Europe, he came across buildings of architectural importance of Modern, Medieval, Gothic and Renaissance styles. It is reported that Vivekananda incorporated these ideas in the design of the Belur Math temple.

Swami Vijnanananda, a brother-monk of Swami Vivekananda and one of the monastic disciples of Ramakrishna, who was, in his pre-monastic life, a civil engineer, designed the temple according to the ideas of Vivekananda and Swami Shivananda, the then President of Belur Math laid the foundation stone on 16 May 1935. The massive construction was handled by Martin Burn & Co.. The mission proclaims the Belur Math as, “A Symphony in Architecture”.

The serene campus of Belur Math on the Ganga includes temples dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda, in which their relics are enshrined, and the main monastery of the Ramakrishna Order. The place has been sanctified by the stay of Swami Vivekananda and most of the monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna who spent several years here. Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi also visited this place on several occasions. The room in which Swamiji attained Mahasamadhi has been preserved here.

The headquarters of the worldwide twin organizations known asRamakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are also situated here. An added attraction is the Museum which contains articles connected with the history of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. The green lawns and lush growth of trees and bushes everywhere add to the serenity and beauty of the place. All this has contributed to an elevating spiritual ambience that has made Belur Math an important place of pilgrimage for people all over the world. A degree college, a polytechnic, and several other educational institutions of the Ramakrishna Mission are situated in the vast campus adjacent to Belur Math.

By Road: Belur Math is located on the west bank of Hoogli River, Howrah District. It can be accessed by hiring auto, bus or taxi from anywhere in the Kolkata state or from neighboring state. Kolkata is connected with most of the Indian cities by road. The National Highway number 2 and 6 connect the city with other cities and states in India. Kolkata has a broad network of government and private buses. The Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC), Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC) and West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (WBSTC) run regulars bus service in the city. The Esplanade Terminus in the heart of the city is the main bus terminus.

By Rail: The Temple is well connected through nearest Howrah railway station (7 kms)
to major cities railway stations like Delhi, Agra, Mumbai, Chennai, Ajmer, Pali, Jaipur, Ahmedabad.

By Air: The Temple can be reached through nearest Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (20 Km) which is well connected with regular domestic flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and other metropolitan cities.

Visiting hours (Belur Math):
April to September: 6 am to 11:30 am, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
October to March: 6:30 am to 11:30 am, 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Every evening a special bell is rung when the aarti begins and then the visitors are supposed to sit inside the main Sri Ramakrishna Temple and not allowed to loiter around.

Visiting hours (Ramakrishna Museum):
Morning: 8:30 am to 11:30 am
Evening: 4 pm to 6 pm (April to September), 3:30 to 5:30 (October to March)
(Closed on Mondays)
The Belur Math conducts medical service, education, work for women, rural uplift and work among the labouring and backward classes, relief, spiritual and cultural activities. The center also celebrates annual birthdays of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Sarada Devi and other monastic disciples. The annual celebrations of Kumari Puja and Durga Puja are one of the main attractions. The tradition ofKumari puja was started by Vivekananda in 1901.