The guest house at the Maharaja Bhaskara Sethupathy’s palace here, where Swami Vivekananda had stayed on his return to India after addressing the Chicago Parliament of Religions in 1893 is all set to become the 181st branch of Ramakrishna Mutt.
The Ramakrishna Mutt and Mission has decided to establish its district branch in the historic and sacred place in memory of Swami Vivekananda who stayed in the guest house for three days on January 29, 30 and 31, 1893 and delivered speeches that woke up the Indian nation.
The new branch, 181st in the country, would be inaugurated on June 26 by Swami Suhitanandaji, general secretary of Ramakrishna Mutt and Mission, Swami Abhiramananda, president of the new branch, told reporters here on Thursday.
After staying here, Swami Vivekananda, who was the disciple of Ramakrishna Pramahamsa, travelled to Kolkotta and established the Belur Mutt, the headquarters of Ramakrishna Mutt and Mission. “We are establishing the new branch here in memory of Swami Vivekananda’s stay at the palace after returning from Chicago,” he said adding the branch would take up social service activities and help the poor and downtrodden to pursue higher education.
Swami Athamanandaji, head of Kanavaipudur and Amaravathipudur Ashrams who had bought the guest house and built a temple seven years ago, has donated the place to Ramakrishna Mutt and Mission for establishing the branch, he said.
The branch would extend all kinds of assistance, including financial assistance to poor students and provide vocational training and nursing courses to men and women, he said.
Even before the branch was established, the Mutt distributed new clothes worth Rs. 10 lakh to the ‘narikuravas,’ he said.
Swami Gautamanandaji Maharaj, president of Ramakrishna Mutt, Chennai, Kumaran Sethupathi, scion of erstwhile royal family of Ramanathapuram and Rajeshwari Nachiyar would grace the inaugural, he said.
