History of Indore Ashrama
Visit of Swami Satswarupananda
The formal activities of Ramakrishna Mission Indore (then known as Ramakrishna Ashram) began in January of 1957. Swami Satswarupanandaji (Swamiji) Maharaj, a disciple of Holy Mother Sri Maa Sarada Devi, came to Indore and started the activities of the Mission through a rented house in Snehalata Ganj. Soon Swamiji shifted the Ashrama to a residential area of the city, where he organized a hostel, a library, a study room and lectures on Sunday.
In 1960, a monetessorri school, Sarada Vidyapeeth, was started in the Nayapura area of the city. It shifted to Ram Baugh in 1961.
The year 1963 was the Birth Centenary year of Swami Vivekananda, and the Ashrama fittingly celebrated it by organizing a Parliament of Religions at the Mahatma Gandhi Town Hall.
The year 1966 marked a seminal event in the history of Ashrama when it purchased a plot of three acres at Kila Maidan from the government of Madhya Pradesh. Thus, the Ashrama got a permanent footing in the city.
Temple Dedication
The Ashrama constructed a temple at the new site, and Swami Vireshwarananda, the then president of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, dedicated the temple in April 1979.
Branch Center of Ramakrishna Math and Mission
After carrying out activities for 42 years following the ideals of the Holy Trio as a private centre, Ramakrishna Ashram Indore, in 1999, merged with Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. The Ashrama thus became a branch centre of the global Ramakrishna organization with Headquarters at Belur Math. The Ashrama celebrated the occasion by organizing a two-day function presided over by Dr Bhai Mahavir, the then governor of Madhya Pradesh, and Swami Smarananandaji, the then secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission.
As of today, Ramakrishna Mission, Indore is a vital spiritual and cultural centre in the city.
