Baranagar Math

Baranagar Math
Baranagar Math, dilapidated house of nineteenth century
Alternative names	Ramakrishna Mission, Baranagar
General information
Status	Active
Type	Heritage place, museum, branch of Ramakrishna Mission
Address	44b, Pramanick Ghat Road, Baranagar, Kolkata 700036
Country	India
Coordinates	22°38′48″N 88°22′6″E / 22.64667°N 88.36833°E / 22.64667; 88.36833Coordinates: 22°38′48″N 88°22′6″E / 22.64667°N 88.36833°E / 22.64667; 88.36833
Construction started	1886 (1886)
Renovated	1973
Owner	Ramakrishna Mission
Website
www.rkmbaranagar.org

Baranagar Math (Baranagar Monastery) or Ramakrishna Math, Baranagar was the first monastery of Ramakrishna Order. In September 1886, after the death of Ramakrishna, when his devotees stopped funding, Swami Vivekananda (then known as Narendranath Datta) and other disciples of Ramakrishna decided to make a dilapidated house at Baranagar their new math. The house crumbled to dust in 1897. In 1973 Vivekananda Math Samrakshan Samity was formed who attempted to preserve the area. In 2001, the possession was handed over to Belur Math authority, who soon-after declared it as one of their official branch. The restoration and development work of the area is still going on.

After the death of Ramakrishna on 16 August 1886, his devotees and admirers stopped funding. Many of his disciples showed inclination to return home and live Grihastha (family-oriented) life. The monastic disciples led by young Narendranath Datta understood the necessity to find out a new shelter. Narendranath and others decided to make dilapidated house at Baranagar the new math (monastery) for remaining disciples. The house belonged to a zaminder family of Taki, North 24 Parganas district.

Surendra Nath Mitra, a devotee of Ramakrishna desired to pay the rent for the house. Narendranath and his guru bhais used to collect their daily food by "holy begging" (madhukari). The math became the first building of the Ramakrishna Math—the monastery of the monastic order of Ramakrishna. Narendra later reminisced about the early days in the monastery:

We underwent a lot of religious practice at the Baranagar Math. We used to get up at 3:00 am and become absorbed in japa and meditation. What a strong spirit of detachment we had in those days! We had no thought even as to whether the world existed or not.

In January 1887, Narendranath Datta and eight other disciples of Ramakrishna took formal monastic vows at Baranagr Math.

The house, which was already in a dilapidated condition, crumbled down to dust in 1897. No initiative could be taken at that time to restore the house. In the same year Vivekananda returned from the West.