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A Symphony In Architecture.

Belur Math

The greatest help to spiritual life is meditation (Dhyâna). In meditation we divest ourselves of all material conditions and feel our divine nature.

-    S. Vivekananda


Belur Math is the headquarters of the renounced Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda’s in 1938. The temple is very famously notable for its architecture which fuses Christian, Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist art motifs as a symbol of unity among all religions and true devotion to the One above All.


The ideas for the temple’s construction has said to be incorporated by Swami Vivekananda’s insight knowledge of  Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri palaces, palaces of Rajasthan, ancient temples of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, etc. and also from the buildings of architectural importance of Modern, Medieval, Gothic and Renaissance styles of America and Europe.



The design of the temple was envisioned by Swami Vivekananda and was sculpted with the idea of celebrating the diversity of Indian Religions. The Shri Ramakrishna Temple has a facade influenced by Buddhist styles and the entrance is modelled in the vision of South India temples. The central dome is derived from the Renaissance architecture of the Duomo of the Florence Cathedral and the ground plan is in the shape of Christian cross. The hanging balconies above the natmandira and the windows show the effect of Moghul architecture used in the Fatehpur Sikri. The Ramakrishna Math and Mission proclaim the Belur Math as "A Symphony in Architecture".


The entrance gate of Belur Math has symbols of all religions. The Unifying aspect of the Math.

~ Joy Banerjee

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