BELUR MATH

BELUR MATH

Sprawling over forty acres of land on the west bank of the Hooghly River, Belur; the Belur Math in Kolkata is a place of pilgrimage and also the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. People from all over the world, irrespective of the religion that they believe in, visit the temple to enjoy the tranquillity and serenity that it imbues.

The people who are not interested in religion also come to Belur Math to experience and appreciate the peace that it diffuses into the environment, and ultimately into the inner soul. The temple is noted for its excellent architecture, which skilfully and artistically fuses Hindu, Christian and Islamic motifs together as a symbol of unity of all religions. Founded by Swami Vivekananda, the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahansa, the temple is at the heart of the Ramakrishna Movement. The temple complex also houses a museum and several other affiliated educational institutions. Tourists often spend about 3-4 hours here, but the experiences and sentiments felt here stay with them forever.

TIMINGS :

The visiting hours of the Belur Math are as follows:

April to September: 6:00 AM to 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM

October to March: 6:30 AM to 11:30 AM and 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM

The visiting hours of the Ramakrishna Museum (Tuesdays to Sundays) are:

April to September: 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

October to March: 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM and 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM

The Belur Math is open on all days and has free entry.

HISTORY :

Upon his arrival in Colombo in January 1897 with his small group of disciples, Swami Vivekananda had founded two monasteries. One of them is the Belur Math. The purpose of these monasteries was to train young men in their work, who would, later on, become 'sannyasis' of the Ramakrishna Mission. In fact, Swami Vivekananda himself spent the last few years of his life at Belur Math.

He consecrated the ground in 1898 by worshipping the urn which contained the holy relics of Sri Ramakrishna and carried the urn on his shoulders to the place of worship. On this occasion, he uttered the following prophetic words: "The blazing light of universal harmony that will emanate from here will flood the whole world." True to these words, the Belur Math has now become the hub of spiritual movements and an assembly point of all true seekers of spirituality.