There are some tourist places which won’t be seen as crowded and vigorous all the time. These are the places that are meant for spiritual uplift and awakening. One such beautiful place in West Bengal’s Belur Math was founded by Swami Vivekananda. Situated on the Western banks of the Hooghly river, Belur Math is a pilgrimage center that caters to devotees of all religious faiths. People from across the world visit this place to find peace, even if they don’t belong to any religion. Belur Math is the headquarter of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
Legend-
Taking inspiration from his Guru’s teachings, this organization was built by Swami Vivekananda, who was an ardent devotee of Sri Ramakrishna. It is believed that Swami Vivekananda once went on a journey to various pilgrim sites across the nation with his fellow brothers. From there he got inspired and got the idea of building an institution to promote Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings. The architectural structure of the institution is inspired by various religious centers across India. Soon after this trip, Swami left for the West to attend a conference, where he further got inspired by some of the European architectural marvels and started working on his mission once he got back to India.
Architecture of Belur Math
Belur Math is one of the architectural wonders of the world which represents universal faith. It is often represented as the ‘Symphony in architecture. Spread across 40 acres of land, the Math campus includes temples that are dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda.
The entire structure of the Math was built under Swami’s guidance. There was something unique to the organization ie., the incorporation of symbols and structures of all religions across the world into a single structure. The foundation stone of the Math was laid on May 16, 1935. The main entrance of the structure is influenced by the temples of South India, with a Buddhist tint to it. The main temple’s central dome has a European architectural style, and the floor of the temple has the shape of the Holy Cross.
There are some other umbrella-shaped domes in the structure that were influenced by a village in Bengal and the exterior walls of the structure are built using the Ajanta style of architecture. In the same way, each section of the Math has designs and architectural styles adopted from various famous structures of the world. This incredible place is a must-visit if you plan a trip to Belur, West Bengal.
About Dev Darshan
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Also read, All You Need to Know About Jagannath Temple, Puri
