SSC
The Ramakrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1897, has its headquarters at:
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Answer: Option A — Belur (West Bengal)
Detailed Solution
The Ramakrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda on 1 May 1897, has its headquarters at the Belur Math, on the western bank of the Hooghly river, in the Howrah district of West Bengal, near Kolkata.
About the founding:
- Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission Association in Calcutta on 1 May 1897, after his return from the West.
- He named it after his guru, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
- The Belur Math (monastery) was established in 1898-1899, and became the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math (the monastic order) and the Ramakrishna Mission.
About the Belur Math:
- The main temple, dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna, was completed in 1938.
- Its architecture combines Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist and Christian styles, symbolising the unity of religions.
- Vivekananda spent his last years at Belur Math, and died there on 4 July 1902.
Aims of the Ramakrishna Mission:
- To spread the teachings of Vedanta and of Sri Ramakrishna, especially the harmony of religions.
- To serve humanity, as Vivekananda believed that service to man was service to God ("Shiva jnane jiva seva").
- It runs schools, colleges, hospitals, and relief work during natural disasters, famines and epidemics.
- It does not take part in politics.
Its motto:
"Atmano mokshartham jagad hitaya cha" ("For one's own liberation and for the welfare of the world").
Recognition:
The Ramakrishna Mission received the Gandhi Peace Prize in 1998.
About Ramakrishna Paramahamsa:
He was a priest at the Kali temple at Dakshineswar, near Calcutta, and taught that all religions lead to the same God.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Dakshineswar was Ramakrishna's temple; Mayavati has the Advaita Ashrama; Kanyakumari has the Vivekananda Rock Memorial.
Quick tip
Remember: Ramakrishna Mission (1 May 1897) = Swami Vivekananda; headquarters at Belur Math (Howrah, West Bengal); motto "Atmano mokshartham jagad hitaya cha".
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Socio-Religious Reform Movements — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Socio-Religious Reform Movements, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
In the 19th century, reformers worked to remove social evils and revive Indian society. This topic covers organisations such as the Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, Theosophical Society, Satyashodhak Samaj and the Aligarh Movement, along with their founders and the social reforms they achieved. Questions usually ask who founded an organisation and when, or which reformer is linked to a reform. For example, Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj and campaigned against sati, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar championed widow remarriage, and Jyotiba Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj. A table of organisation, founder, year and place covers most questions. Practise the socio-religious reform movements questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.