Brief History of Sri Ramakrishna Temple at Belur Math

Brief History of Sri Ramakrishna Temple at Belur Math

It was Swamiji’s lifelong desire to preserve the mortal remains (holy ashes) of Sri Ramakrishna and enshrine it in a grand temple dedicated to him. This could not happen during Swamiji’s lifetime. So he installed Sri Ramakrishna in what is now known as the ‘old temple’. However, before leaving his body, Swamiji had a plan ready for a monumental temple.  Following his directions, Swami Vijnanananda, his brother disciple and a qualified civil engineer drew the plan. Though Swamiji did not live to see this temple, he assured that he would see it from ‘above’.

The foundation stone for the temple was laid by Swami Shivananda on 13 March 1929, Sri Ramakrishna’s birthday. For paucity of funds, the construction could not begin immediately. It started only after five years with substantial contributions from Miss Helen Rubel (also known as Bhakti) and Mrs. Anna Worcester (also known as Annapurna). By their munificence, these two American devotees have become inseparably connected with the history of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, and have endeared themselves to all devotees of Sri Ramakrishna.

Before the construction began, the foundation site had to be shifted about a hundred feet from the original spot, as advised by engineers. Swami Vijnanananda, the then president of the Order, re-laid the foundation on 16 July 1935, the day of Guru-purnima. In the morning, he went to the shrine to seek Sri Ramakrishna’s blessings. The auspicious time fixed for laying the foundation was 8.15 am. He was known for his punctuality, but that day he spent a long time in the shrine. It was past 8.30 a.m. when he came out of the shrine. When asked about the delay he said, ‘What I shall do! Sri Ramakrishna did not allow me to take leave of him.’

On the foundation day too something mysterious happened. At the beginning of the ritual, Swami Vijnanananda stood in front of the picture of Sri Ramakrishna, decorated for the purpose, holding in his hands the arghya (flowers, sandal paste, vilva leaf, and so on) to be offered to Sri Ramakrishna. Then blew a gentle breeze that displaced the arghya from his hands and placed it right on the spot where it was to be offered to Sri Ramakrishna. It was as if Swamiji had offered this first arghya to the Master. Swami Vijnanananda then offered another arghya to the Master.

- The new temple was dedicated by Swami Vijnanananda on 14 January 1938, the day of Makara Sankranti.