Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House and Cultural Centre is a museum and cultural centre. It is located at 105 Vivekananda Road,

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

, India. In this house,

Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda () (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindus, Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. Vivekananda was a major figu ...

(then called Narendranath Datta) was born on 12 January 1863. The house remained Vivekananda's home throughout his childhood and early youth. The cultural centre was inaugurated by the President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.

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. Vivekananda won the case in the lower court, but the case was appealed to a higher court. 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 The Government of West Bengal, also known as the West Bengal Government, is the Administrative division, principal administrative authority of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal, created by the Constitution ...

. A committee was set up for this project. The committee managed to amass a fund of from Central Government, State Government, and public donations of which were granted by the Central Government. In 2004, after renovation, the house was turned into a museum and cultural centre. Currently, Vivekananda's ancestral home is spread over 22,000 square feet 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. There is a

Shiva Lingam A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, wher ...

located at the premises.

Gallery

File:Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House & Cultural Centre - Kolkata 2011-10-22 6264.JPG, Ancestral house of Vivekananda, now a museum and cultural centre File:Bidhan Sarani - Kolkata 2011-10-22 6262.JPG, Bidhan Sarani, road in front of the house File:Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House & Cultural Centre Signage - Kolkata 2011-10-22 6265.JPG, Sign in front of the museum File:3_Gour_Mohan_Mukherjee_Street_-_Kolkata_2011-10-22_6178.jpg, Swami Vivekananda's birthplace File:Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House and Cultural Centre (birthplace of Swami Vivekananda; now a museum and cultural centre, inaugurated by the President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam) at Gourmohan Mukherjee Street.jpg, Statue of Swami Vivekananda adjacent to the house

References

{{Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda Ramakrishna Mission Museums in Kolkata