Belur Math (belurmath.org; free) was founded by Swami Vivekananda, a disciple of Ramakrishna, and was completed in 1938, after his death. There’s an Orthodox Christianity meets Mughal palace vibe going on with the architecture of this complex's various temples, further adding to the sense of a mixing of religious ideologies that pervades the site’s ideology. Of the peach-colored riverside temples, Swami Brahmananda Temple is located on the site where its eponymous Sri Ramakrishna disciple was cremated. Maa Sarada Devi Temple is dedicated to the "spiritual consort" of Ramakrishna, also on the site of her cremation.
Accessed from the car park, a beautifully presented dual-level museum charts Ramakrishna’s life and the travels of his great disciple Swami Vivekananda. Inside, you'll find their objects of personal daily use preserved in neat arrays, a showroom for informative books in English and Indian languages, as well as a sales counter for handmade objects and showpieces. During Durga Puja, the institution comes to life with absorbing spells of ritual and festive splendor, and the immersion of the goddess on the ultimate day in the Hooghly River is a spectacular draw.
From the main road outside, six daily suburban trains run between Belur Math and Howrah (25 minutes). Picking up next door to Belur Math train station, minibuses and buses run to Esplanade/Howrah in stop-start traffic.
