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| Belur Math |
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History
Belur Math or Belur Mutt is located on the west bank of Hooghly River in Belur which is at a distance of just 22 kms from the city of Kolkata. It was founded by Swami Vivekananda who was the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. The foundation stone of Belur Math was laid on 16 May 1935. It was so designed so as to infuse the architectural motifs of Hinduism, Islam and Christianity in structure to symbolise the unity of all religions. The outcome of this line of thought is very beautiful and can only be comprehended by seeing the Math in person.
Belur Math spreads over a massive 40 acres and houses several temples and a museum containing articles connected with the history of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Sri Ramakrishna Temple, which was originally conceived by Swami Vivekananda is the most popular temple of the Math and enshrines the sacred relics of Sri Ramakrishna besides being an architectural marvel. The Old Shrine is situated to the north-east of Sri Ramakrishna Temple and is used for meditation and worship and reverberates with the holy chants during prayers. The Swami Brahmanand Temple stands on the cremation spot of Swami Brahmananda's body who was one of the 16 disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. There are many more temples in the Math that one can go to and feel the presence of God in the calm and soothing environment of the Math. There is also the Ramakrishna Museum which displays articles and artefacts closely associated with Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, Swami Vivekananda and other direct disciples of the Master.
Belur Math is a must visit for anyone visiting Kolkata as not only is its architecture and environment breathtaking but also due to the fact that it stands for the respect and acceptance of not only ones religion but of others too.
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Best time to visit
The summers (March to May) are warm and not ideal for sightseeing with the temperatures reaching a maximum of above 40 degrees. Winters (November to February) are generally cool with temperatures falling to 10 degrees.
The best time to the visit Belur Math is from the month of October to March.
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Trivia
The mission proclaims that the Ramakrishna Temple is - "A Symphony in Architecture" and even the former President of India Abdul Kalam regarded this as a "place of heritage and national importance."
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Timing
Belur Math is closed on Mondays and the entry timings depend on the season as well as the occasion on a specified day.
April to September: 6:00 am to 11:30 am and 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
October to March: 6:30 am to 11:30 am and 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm.
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Travel Tools
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