Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Belur Math, the global headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, on Thursday and paid tributes to Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda.
Modi arrived around 5pm after addressing an election rally in Mathurapur in South 24-Parganas, less than an hour before the first phase of polling ended in Bengal.
“The Prime Minister was scheduled to be at the Math for 15 minutes but extended his visit by another 15 minutes, visiting the Sri Ramakrishna temple, Swami Vivekananda’s room and interacting with Swami Gautamananda, president of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission,” a senior monk said.
Senior police officers overseeing the Prime Minister’s movement in Bengal said visitor entry to the Math was restricted for 30 minutes while Modi was inside.
Officers of the special protection group, responsible for his security, had requested the arrangement, the police said. During this time of year, Belur Math remains open to visitors from 6.30am to 11.30am and from 4pm to 9pm.
Modi had last visited Belur Math six years ago, in January 2020, when he stayed overnight to participate in the 157th birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda.
“While speaking with Swami Gautamananda at his residence at the Math, in the presence of other monks, the Prime Minister discussed several issues, including the National Education Policy (NEP), asking K. Kasturirangan to visit Belur Math, and his focus on skill development,” the monk said. Kasturirangan was the chairman of the
drafting committee for NEP 2020.
Before leaving, Modi told the monks that he always felt at peace whenever he visited Belur Math. Veteran monks recalled how he had visited the Math in his early days, hoping to join the order as a monk.
Swami Gautamananda presented the Prime Minister with a dhoti, a shawl, several books and a silver pen engraved with the words “Sri Ramakrishna”. Modi described the pen as an “invaluable gift”.
The Prime Minister then went to the garbha-griha (sanctum sanctorum) of the Sri Ramakrishna Temple, which blends architectural features from different religions. After offering prayers, he visited Swami Vivekananda’s room and spent some time in the balcony overlooking the Hooghly.
While Modi visited Belur Math, chief minister Mamata Banerjee visited a Jain temple in Bhabanipur on Thursday, where she interacted with community members. “Dharma jar jar, utsav shobar (To each their religion, but celebrations are for all),” she said.