Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House and Cultural Centre

Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House and Cultural Centre is a museum and cultural centre. It is located at 105 Vivekananda Road, Kolkata, India.[1] In this house, Swami Vivekananda (then called Narendranath Datta) was born on 12 January 1863.[2] The house remained Vivekananda's home throughout his childhood and early youth.[3][4] The cultural centre was inaugurated by the President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.[5]

Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House and Cultural Centre
Swamiji Bhavan
Entrance to the Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House and Cultural Centre
Former namesSwami Vivekananda's ancestral house
General information
StatusActive
TypeHeritage place, museum
Address105 Vivekananda Road
Town or cityKolkata
CountryIndia
Coordinates22°35′10.8″N 88°22′2.5″E
Construction started26 September 2004
Inaugurated26 September 2004
Renovated2004
OwnerRamakrishna Mission

History

After the death of his father (Vishwanath Datta) in 1884, Narendranath's aunt, who was living with them in that house, claimed full possession of the property. She filed a lawsuit against Narendranath's mother (Bhuvaneswari Devi) and her family.[3] Vivekananda won the case in the lower court, but the case was appealed to a higher court.[6] The case continued for many years in higher courts. It concluded only a few days before Vivekananda's death in 1902. According to the final ruling in the case, Vivekananda was awarded full legal possession of his ancestral house.

Renovation

Over time, the ancestral house of Vivekananda became dilapidated. In 1962, Ramakrishna Mission authorities decided to acquire the property and turn it into a museum. In May 1999, the Ramakrishna Mission acquired the land and the adjacent plot through the Government of West Bengal. A committee was set up for this project. The committee managed to amass a fund of ₹200 million (US$2.8 million) from Central Government, State Government, and public donations of which ₹99 million (US$1.4 million) were granted by the Central Government.[5] In 2004, after renovation, the house was turned into a museum and cultural centre.[1]

Currently, Vivekananda's ancestral home is spread over 22,000 square feet[7] and houses a museum, a research centre, a memorial shrine, a library, an English centre, a computer training centre, and a charitable dispensary. Seminars and conventions are also regularly organised here.[4] There is a Shiva Lingam located at the premises.[7]

  • Ancestral house of Vivekananda, now a museum and cultural centre
  • Bidhan Sarani, road in front of the house
  • Sign in front of the museum
  • Swami Vivekananda's birthplace
  • Statue of Swami Vivekananda adjacent to the house

References
  1. "Ancestral House of Swami Vivekananda". Indfy. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  2. Chattopadhyay Rajagopal (1 January 1999). Swami Vivekananda in India: A Corrective Biography. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 28–. ISBN 978-81-208-1586-5. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  3. Chaturvedi Badrinath (1 June 2006). Swami Vivekananda: The Living Vedanta. Penguin Books India. pp. 2–. ISBN 978-0-14-306209-7. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  4. "Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House and Cultural Centre, Swamiji's House". BM Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda’s Ancestral House and Cultural Centre, Swamiji’s House. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  5. "Datta Ancestral Home - Birthplace of Vivekananda". Press Information Bureau (Government of India). Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  6. Bhawan Singh Rana; Mīnā Agravāla Meena Agrawal (2005). The Immortal Philosopher Of India Swami Vivekananda. Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd. pp. 41–. ISBN 978-81-288-1001-5. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  7. "Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House and Cultural Centre". Times of India Travel. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
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