Belur Math is the headquarter of the Ramkrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda,the chief disciple of Ramkrishna Paramhamsa. It is the heart of the Ramkrishna movement. It is situated on the western bank of Hooghly River, Belur, West Bengal. The place is a symbol of unity of all religion. The 40 acre campus of the Belur Math on the banks of the Hooghly River includes temples dedicated to Ramkrishna, Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda. The height of the temple is 112.5 feet and covers a total area of 32,900 sq feet. The temple is built of Chunar stone and some portion in the front is of cement. The high entrance of the temple is like a South Indian Gopuram and the pillars on both sides represents Buddhist architecture style. The windows and balconies inside the temple represent the Rajput and Mughal of north. The ground plan is in the shape of Christian Cross. In 1897 Swami Vivekananda arrived at Baranagar, Calcutta. Two monasteries were founded by him, one at Belur and the other at Mayavati in Uttrakhand called the Advaita Ashrama. Vivekananda’s brother monk Swami Vijnanananda who is also a disciple of Ramkrishna, is a civil engineer in his pre-monastic life. He designed the temple according to the ideas of Swami Vivekananda and Swami Shivananda. The massive construction was handled by Martin Burn & Co. The mission proclaims the Belur Math as “A Symphony in Architecture.” In the Garbha Mandir of the temple Sri Ramkrishna’s marble image is enthroned on a marble lotus platform with Braahmi Hansa engraved it. One Bhaandaar is annexed behind the Garbha Mandir. The canopy above the deity was made by a carpenter from Salkia with a special teak wood bought from Burma. The Garbha Mandir rests on a concrete foundation slab of 27 square meters area and more than 1 metre thick. Surki was prepared locally and sand was collected from Magra. The floor of Garbha Mandir and the Nat mandir have been laid on with white and black marble respectively. All the doors and windows of Garbha Mandir and Nat Mandir are made up of choicest teak imported from Burma. The work was done by Chinese carpenters and the fittings were procured from a Bombay based company. On a marble pedestal in the shrine is a marble statue of Sri Ramkrishna in his familiar asana. The prayer hall is 152 ft. long, 72 ft. wide and 48 ft. high. The estimated cost of the temple was 6 lakh (1935) but on completion (1938) the actual cost came to around 8 lakh. Almost the whole expenditure of construction of the temple was given by two disciples from USA. The campus of Belur Math houses a Museum containing articles connected with the history of Ramkrishna Math and Mission. This museum hosts articles used by Ramkrishna, Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda and some of his disciples. These include the long coat of Vivekananda which he wore in the west, Sister Nivedita’s Table, The black stone bowl from which Ramkrishna took ‘Payasam’ the pillow he had used, the footwear used by Ramkrishna. Sarada Devi’s pilgrimage has also been exhibited. The museum shows a huge replica of Swami Vivekanada in the front of the Chicago Art Institute. Swami Vivekananda gave the speech in the Parliament of Religious at Chicago in 1893 on the month of September. Through his speech Vivekananda uplift the Hindu religion in front of the whole world. Several educational institutions affiliated with the Ramkrishna Mission are situated in the vast campus adjacent to Belur Math. The Belur Math conducts medical services, education. They work for women, rural uplift and work among the backward classes, relief, cultural activities. They also celebrated the birthdays of Ramkrishna, Vivekananda, Sarada Devi and other disciples of Ramkrishna. Christmas is also celebrated here. The Durga Puja and the ‘Kumari Puja’ are one of the main attraction of this place. The tradition of ‘Kumari Puja’ was started by Vivekananda in 1901. The ‘Naranarayan Seva’ is held here every day. It is started from the early days of the math because according to Vivekananda welfare of mankind is the another form ‘Ishwar Seva’. People who visited belur math can join in the ‘Naranarayan Seva’. Swami Vivekananda established the Ramkrishna Mission to propagate the ideas of Sri Ramkrishna. It aimed at working for one’s liberation as well as the welfare of the whole world. It is a non-political and non-religious organization trying to unite all religions. The mission was started in 1897. The two main objectives of renunciation and service were profounded by Sri Ramkrishna which Vivekananda desired to spread to the world. How to reach: People have to get down at Belur Station and take a toto to reach Belur Math. Ferry service is also available to reach the spot. Opening Hours: Morning - 6.30 to 11.30 am Evening - April to September - 4.00 to 9.00 pm October to March - 3.30 to 8.30 pm The temples close at 11.30 am in the morning. After the evening aratrikam bell, the devotees are allowed to sit in Sri Ramkrishna temple only.