Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House and Cultural Centre — Attraction in Kolkata

📍 Address: 105, Vivekananda Road, Maniktala, Kolkata – 700006 🚇 Nearest Metro: Girish Park (approx. 5–7 min walk) 🕒 Timings:

Open: Tuesday to Sunday

Hours: 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Closed: Monday & public holidays

🎟️ Entry Fee: ₹10 (affordable for all)

🌟 OVERVIEW This heritage site is the birthplace of Swami Vivekananda (born as Narendranath Datta in 1863), a towering spiritual figure of India and disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It has been transformed into a cultural and spiritual museum by the Ramakrishna Mission, yet retains the aura of a lived-in family home from the 19th century.

The museum combines historical preservation, educational programs, spiritual inspiration, and cultural enrichment under one roof — all set in a serene and respectful environment.

🏛️ WHAT TO EXPECT 🔹 1. Birth Room of Swamiji A sacred and beautifully preserved room where Swami Vivekananda was born on 12 January 1863.

The clock in the room is set to the exact time of his birth.

Devotees often bow in reverence — the space radiates peace and stillness.

🔹 2. Restored Ancestral Home The central courtyard, living areas, kitchen, and prayer room are maintained as they were in the late 1800s.

Wooden staircases, antique furniture, and Bengal-style architecture bring alive the family’s lifestyle during Swamiji’s time.

🔹 3. Museum & Galleries Multiple rooms exhibit:

Swami Vivekananda’s personal belongings – boxing gloves, riding stirrup, shoes, letters

Family photos, early writings, rare documents

Detailed clay models and life-size dioramas showing key events in his childhood and spiritual life

A gallery on Indian Renaissance thinkers, including Rabindranath Tagore and Raja Rammohan Roy

🔹 4. Multimedia Presentation There’s a mini theatre room showing a short documentary on Vivekananda’s life (~15–20 minutes, available in Bengali/English).

Highly recommended for first-time visitors and students — clear, well-produced, and emotionally powerful.

🔹 5. Meditation Hall and Temple A calm space for quiet meditation and prayer, with soft chanting playing in the background.

A small Shiva temple in the complex reflects the Datta family’s traditional religious roots.

📚 EDUCATION & OUTREACH (CULTURAL CENTRE) This isn’t just a museum — it’s a living institution:

Offers classes in:

Spoken English, Sanskrit, French, German, Spanish

Computer literacy, soft skills, communication

Yoga (general & certified training)

Has a public library of over 6,000 books (spirituality, science, Indian culture)

Conducts seminars, youth leadership programs, cultural talks, and health awareness camps

Runs a charitable dispensary offering homeopathic and allopathic care for the community

📷 PHOTOGRAPHY POLICY Photography is allowed in the outer courtyard, garden, and temple areas

Photography and videography are strictly prohibited inside the rooms, galleries, and birth room — guards may intervene if rules are broken

Visitors are expected to maintain silence inside...

SWAMI VIVEKANADA, SHREE SHREE THAKUR RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHANSA DEV AND EVERYONE'S MOTHER are in our blood. Knowing SHREE SHREE THAKUR RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHANSA DEV is knowing SPIRITUALITY. KNOWING EVERYONE'S MOTHER ( MA) SARODA is knowing love ❤️ because MOTHER (MA) is the only source of love ❤️ in life in our life. Knowing SWAMI VIVEKANADA is knowing what is KEEP GOING AND GROWING. Without SPIRITUALITY Without LOVE ❤️ Without knowing what is KEEP GOING AND GROWING life doesn't exist. So to know life our life it is necessary to visit and get the deepest insight from the deepest source SWAMI VIVEKANADA ANCESTRAL HOUSE AND CULTURAL COMPLEX - A HERITAGE BUILDING A PLACE OF PILGRIMGE - RAMAKRISHNA MISSION - SWAMI VIVEKANADA'S ANCESTRAL HOUSE & CULTURAL CENTER at 3, GOUR MOHAN MUKHERJEE STREET, KOLKATA - 700006 - WEST BENGAL - INDIA 🇮🇳.

I completed 2 years global language ENGLISH LANGUAGE COURSE IN 2009 - 2010 AND PASSED OUT AS THE TOPPER OF THAT YEAR. Prior to join RAMAKRISHNA MISSION GOAL PARK KOLKATA - 700 029 WEST BENGAL - INDIA 🇮🇳 life my life was not known to me and I was running 🏃 meaninglessly and without any goal. Specifically my life was at is worst. But the moment I joined RAMAKRISHNA MISSION GOAL PARK KOLKATA - 700 029 my life slowly started blooming I was getting the touch of SPIRITUALITY, MOTHER'S LOVE ❤️AND THE MEANING OF KEEP GOING AND GROWING, DISCIPLINE, MANER, SELF CONFIDENCE, LOVING MYSELF, LOVING MY FAMILY 👪 LOVING THE SOCIETY AND LIVING AS A MEMBER OF GLOBAL FAMILY 👪. All the security brothers, gardeners, non teaching staffs, vastly expirenced and benevolent teachers, principal MAM, RESPECTED AND LOVING MONKS AND MAHARAJAS taught me what is SEVA what is BHAKTI what is HUMANITY what is LIVING FOR OTHERS IS WORTHY LIVING, what is INTEGRITY, what is LOYALTY, what is COMPASSION, what is KINDNESS, the real meaning of real knowledge is knowing nothing and above all to reach people's soul is the only medium is language language and language. After completing THE 2 YEAR'S ENGLISH LANGUAGE I started visiting SWAMI VIVEKANADA'S ANCESTRAL HOME AND OUR RAMAKRISHNA MISSION GOL PARK - KOLKATA - 700 029 whenever I get time and each year's 12th JANUARY - THE NATIONAL YOUTH DAY - SWAMI VIVEKANADA'S BIRTHDAY I compulsorily spend the entire day in SWAMI VIVEKANADA'S ANCESTRAL HOUSE and our RAMAKRISHNA MISSION GOL PARK, KOLKATA - 700 029 - WEST BENGAL - INDIA 🇮🇳. Before concluding I would love to say that if any one wants to visit SWAMI VIVEKANADA'S ANCESTRAL HOUSE AND RAMAKRISHNA MISSION GOAL PARK KOLKATA - 700 029 I would love to guide him these two places because as a human being it is my duty to share and help others the way I have transformed my life from worst to a new horizon of HOPE and DREAM. I bought lot of books written by SWAMI VIVEKANADA - THE IDEAL MONK - THE INSIGNIA OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. I will share those books and the in-house pictures here in our GOOGLE in coming days.

THANK YOU SO MUCH...

Very good place in Kolkata. Swami Vivekananda 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk and philosopher. He was a chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian mystic Ramakrishna.Influenced by Western esotericism, he was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian darsanas (teachings, practices) of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world, and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century.He was a major force in the contemporary Hindu reform movements in India, and contributed to the concept of nationalism in colonial India. Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission.He is perhaps best known for his speech which began with the words "Sisters and brothers of America ...,"in which he introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893. Vivekananda was born Narendranath Datta (shortened to Narendra or Naren) in a Bengali family at his ancestral home at 3 Gourmohan Mukherjee Street in Calcutta,the capital of British India, on 12 January 1863 during the Makar Sankranti festival.He belonged to a traditional family and was one of nine siblings. His father, Vishwanath Datta, was an attorney at the Calcutta High Court.Durgacharan Datta, Narendra's grandfather was a Sanskrit and Persian scholar who left his family and became a monk at age twenty-five. His mother, Bhubaneswari Devi, was a devout housewife.The progressive, rational attitude of Narendra's father and the religious temperament of his mother helped shape his thinking and personality.Narendranath was interested in spirituality from a young age and used to meditate before the images of deities such as Shiva, Rama, Sita, and Mahavir Hanuman. He was fascinated by wandering ascetics and monks.Narendra was naughty and restless as a child, and his parents often had difficulty controlling him. His mother said, "I prayed to Shiva for a son and he has sent me one of...