<p>Founded in 1898 by Swami Vivekananda on the western banks of the river Ganga, Belur Math’s lush green campus sprawling over 40 acres is thronged by tourists and devotees alike for its architectural elegance, clean environs, sacred associations and spiritual atmosphere.<br /><br />Produced by the Mission, the 54-minute-long first-ever documentary on also presents many archival materials like rare photographs and video footages related to the organisation.<br /><br />"With an audio-visual presentation on Belur Math, we can reach out to a larger audience, particularly the young generation. Besides, it will also clear some misconceptions about the place," Swami Prabhananda, general secretary of the Mission, told PTI here after the launch of the documentary.<br /><br />Noted Bengali film and stage actor Sabyasachi Chakrabarti has given a voice-over in the documentary, which took around 16 months to complete.<br /><br />Touching every aspect related to the Math, the film takes the audience through a journey of how a small group of young disciples developed a world-wide monastic organisation under the dynamic leadership of Swami Vivekananda.<br /><br />Besides being sanctified by the stay of most of the 16 disciples of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, it was at Belur Math where Vivekananda had lived the last years of his short life.<br /><br />The room in which he attained ‘Mahasamadhi’ has also been preserved there. The serene campus of Belur Math on the Ganges bank includes temples dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda, in which their relics are enshrined, and the main monastery of the Ramakrishna Order.<br /><br />Exuding peace, the place has become a pilgrimage for people from all over the world professing different faiths.<br /><br />Confident about the sacredness of the place, Vivekananda had once professed: "The power that will have its rise from here (Belur Math) will flood the whole world and turn the course of men's lives into different channels; from this place will spring forth ideals which will be the harmony of knowledge, devotion, yoga, and work ... all true seekers of spirituality will in course of time assemble here."<br /><br />The Math's biggest attraction remains the main temple of Sri Ramakrishna, which has an important place among the modern temples of India from the architectural point of view.<br />The documentary shows that the majestic temple, conceived by Vivekananda, was designed to celebrate the diversity of religions as it resembles temple, mosque and church, when seen from different angles.<br /><br />Besides, the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, a degree college, a polytechnic and several other educational institutions of the Ramakrishna Mission are situated in the vast campus adjacent to Belur Math.</p>
<p>Founded in 1898 by Swami Vivekananda on the western banks of the river Ganga, Belur Math’s lush green campus sprawling over 40 acres is thronged by tourists and devotees alike for its architectural elegance, clean environs, sacred associations and spiritual atmosphere.<br /><br />Produced by the Mission, the 54-minute-long first-ever documentary on also presents many archival materials like rare photographs and video footages related to the organisation.<br /><br />"With an audio-visual presentation on Belur Math, we can reach out to a larger audience, particularly the young generation. Besides, it will also clear some misconceptions about the place," Swami Prabhananda, general secretary of the Mission, told PTI here after the launch of the documentary.<br /><br />Noted Bengali film and stage actor Sabyasachi Chakrabarti has given a voice-over in the documentary, which took around 16 months to complete.<br /><br />Touching every aspect related to the Math, the film takes the audience through a journey of how a small group of young disciples developed a world-wide monastic organisation under the dynamic leadership of Swami Vivekananda.<br /><br />Besides being sanctified by the stay of most of the 16 disciples of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, it was at Belur Math where Vivekananda had lived the last years of his short life.<br /><br />The room in which he attained ‘Mahasamadhi’ has also been preserved there. The serene campus of Belur Math on the Ganges bank includes temples dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda, in which their relics are enshrined, and the main monastery of the Ramakrishna Order.<br /><br />Exuding peace, the place has become a pilgrimage for people from all over the world professing different faiths.<br /><br />Confident about the sacredness of the place, Vivekananda had once professed: "The power that will have its rise from here (Belur Math) will flood the whole world and turn the course of men's lives into different channels; from this place will spring forth ideals which will be the harmony of knowledge, devotion, yoga, and work ... all true seekers of spirituality will in course of time assemble here."<br /><br />The Math's biggest attraction remains the main temple of Sri Ramakrishna, which has an important place among the modern temples of India from the architectural point of view.<br />The documentary shows that the majestic temple, conceived by Vivekananda, was designed to celebrate the diversity of religions as it resembles temple, mosque and church, when seen from different angles.<br /><br />Besides, the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, a degree college, a polytechnic and several other educational institutions of the Ramakrishna Mission are situated in the vast campus adjacent to Belur Math.</p>