RAMAKRISHNA MOVEMENT IN GUJARAT

Gujarat the native state of the father of nation  Mahatma Gandhi, proud of holding, on her bosom, Dwaraka- the ancient capital of Lord Krishna, Somanath- one of the Dwadash-Jyotirlingas, Girnar- the Tapobhumi for the ages, and with rich heritage right from Krishna-Sudama to Narasi Mehata, Jalarambapa and onwards till the date has kept on attracting  monks and ascetics. How then the Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna could escape from such a powerful attraction? So it is but natural that, Swami Vivekananda and most of his brother disciples visited Gujart during their parivrajya, the holly wanderings.

Swami Vivekananda has spent a lot of time in Saurashtra (Kathiawar). In 1891 & 1892 Swamiji wandered over state of Gujarat covering Ahmedabad, Wadhwan, Limbdi, Sihore, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Girnar, Bhuj, Veraval (Somanath), Porbandar, Dwaraka, Mandavi, Narayan Sarovar, Palitana, Nadiad and Baroda etc. During this time he came in contact with Sri Lalashankar Umiyashankar Trivedi of Ahmedabad, Thakore Saheb Sri Yashvantsinhji of Limbdi, Maharaja of Bhavananagar Sri Takhtasinhji, Dewan of Junagadh Sri Haridas Viharidas Desai, Maharaj of Kutch Sri Khengarji, Dewan of Kutch Sri Motichand Lalchand, Administrator of Porbandar Sri Shankar Pandurang Pandit, Dewan of Baroda Sri Manibhai Jashbhai, and many other prominent personalities of Gujarat.

In search of his beloved brother-disciple Swami Vivekananda, Swami Akhandananda also covered entire Gujart, finally meeting the Swamiji at Mandavi. Afterwards leaving the Swamiji to travel alone, he remained in Gujarat, first doing tapsya in Girnar and then learning the lessons of the service of the poor & needy with Sri Zandu Bhatt at Jamnagar, for the considerable time.
 
The footfalls of the following brother disciples of the Swamiji also have sanctified this state.  Swami Brahmanananda,  Swami Turiyananda,  Swami Saradananda,  Swami Trigunatitananda,  Swami Advaitananda,  Swami Abhedananda,  Swami Subodhananda, and Swami Viajnananada Some of these disciples also came in the close contact with the princes and the leading people of Gujarat, and spiritual bound was thus established between them, which since then drawn the monks of the Order from time to time to this state.

After the establishment of Belur Math Swamiji proposed to preach and spread the message of Sri Ramakrishna by sending his brother disciples all over India. According to his plan Swami Saradananda and Swami Turiyananda were send to Gujarat and Kathiawar in February-1899. Maharaja Yashvantsinhji of Limbdi received them cordially and promised financial help for Swamiji’s work. He gave letters of introduction to the Maharajas of various states. On 14th March 1899, they met Thakore Saheb Sir Lakhajiraj of Rajkot who promised them financial help. They also visited Gondal, Morbi and Bhavnagar before they left for the Math on receiving a telegram from Swamiji to come back immediately. During their sojourn they expressed a desire to establish a permanent centre in Kathiawar.

In 1924, Swami Nikhilananda, while engaged in spreading the message of Sri Ramakrishna in Kathiawar, came in close contact with some of the foremost ruling princes like Maharaja Saheb of Morabi, Thakore Saheb of Rajkot and Limbdi, Maharana Saheb of Porbandar and other leading personalities of Gujarat. He stayed as a guest of erstwhile ruler of Porbandar Rana Saheb Sri Natawarsinghji who was very much impressed and gave him a letter of introduction, as

To whom this may concern.

During about a week that Swami Nikhilananda stayed here, I was deeply impressed by his acumen and greatly interested in his mission which is known as the “Ramakrishna Mission”.  I thoroughly enjoyed his company and am very pleased, indeed to have made acquaintance with him. For what I have heard about his mission I can say that it is really laudable and I hope that his efforts for its advancement will be crowned with success. I write this letter as a token of my appreciation for excellent work he is doing for the genuine benefit of humanity.

S/d Natawarsinghji
Maharaja Rana Saheb, Porbandar.

P.S. A Sum of Rs. 20,000/- has been promised by state towards ‘Mayavati Ashrama’.

Rana Saheb expressed his desire that a branch centre of Ramakrishna Mission should be started in Porbandar and he assured all possible help in this regard. Later in 1925 when Swami Madhavananda came to Saurashtra (Kathiawar), the scheme of having centre there, matured.  After visiting many prominent towns of Kathiawar like Morbi Bhavnagar, Porbandar, and Limbdi etc., Rajkot was finally selected as the place that would be most central and the suitable for the purpose. The Maharaja Saheb of Morbi, Sri Lukhdhirji Jadeja was kind enough to spend a thousand rupees over the repairs of his old Utara (Rest House) in civil station, Rajkot and offered the same for the temporary use of the Ashrama. Thakore Saheb Sri Lakhajiraj of Rajkot donated five hundred rupees for the maintenance of the Ashrama and promised more if necessary. Mr. Harishankar N. Pandya, Pleader, in co-operation with Sri C. N. Shroff, Dewan and other leading personalities of Rajkot, set themselves for the task in right earnest, collected funds for the maintenance of the Ashrama and requested the authorities of the Order at Belur-Math to start the centre without delay. Accordingly Swami Mavadananda accompanied by Swami Vividishananda and Swami Bhaveshananda came to Rajkot in February-1927. Swami Vividishananda was put in-charge, and Swami Bhaveshananda was to assist him in conducting work. The opening ceremony of the new Ashrama took place on 5th March 1927, the auspicious birthday of Sri Ramakrishna. Mr. P. G. Masurekar, Bar at Law and Mr. Prabhuram Shankarji were main speakers among the host of dignitaries present.

The historic Tower-bungalow (Darbar-gadh) of Limbdi, with the magnificent clock tower, where Swamiji had stayed for few days, was handed over to the office bearers of Sri Ramakrishna Prarthana Mandir, Limbdi, in 1971 by Raja Mata Pravinkuvarba and Maharaja Sri Chhatrasalji.  Since then Sri Chhabildasbhai and his son Sri Niranjanbhai Shah, the inspired founders of Prarthana Mandir, conducted various humanitarian and cultural activities in the same royal building under guidance of the monks of the Ramakrishna Order till they finally handed over the same along with a plot of six acres to the authorities of the Ramakrishna Mission for starting it’s permanent branch centre, on 12th February 1994. On this occasion one 8feet tall bronze statue of the Swamiji on 9 feet high pedestal covered with granite stone was installed in a small circle in frond of Royal Tower-Bungalow. The Circle has been named as “Vivekananda Chowk”. Since inception, regular medical, educational, cultural, spiritual and relief activities are being conducted by the Ramakrishna Mission, Limbdi. This centre which was started as a sub-centre under the Shri Ramakrishna Ashrama, Rajkot, became an independent centre of the Ramakrishna Mission in April 1996.

Due to efforts of Sri Ratibhai Chhaya, Sri Dwarakadas Vitthalani, Sri M. P. Joshi, Smt. Jyotiben Thanaki, Smt. Mintooben Dasani and other leading citizens of Porbandar, a committee was formed in 1990 under the guidance of Shri Ramakrishna Ashrama, Rajkot, which conducted weekly youth study circles and other activities in the Bhojeshwar Bungalow, Porbandar where Swamiji had stayed for several months as a guest of Sri Shankar Pandurang Pandit. Due to kind efforts of Sri Chimanbhai Shukla, Rajkot, Sri Sureshbhai Mehata, ex-Chief Minister of Gujarat, and Sri Shankarsinh Vaghela, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, the Bhojeshwar-Bungalow was formally handed over to Ramakrishna Mission in a public meeting held on 12th January 1997. Swami Atmasthanandaji Maharaj, then the General Secretary of Ramakrishna Mission, received the formal documents from Sri Shankarsinh Vaghela.

As the bungalow was in dilapidated condition Shri Ramakrishna Ashrama, Rajkot sent few monks for the repair and renovation work of the building. Subsequently, the adjoining land of 1975 sq meters was handed over by the State Government to the Ashrama. On 12th January 1998, a 9’6” tall bronze statue of the Swamiji was installed on 12 ft. high pedestal in the Ashrama campus. The Porbandar centre became an independent centre of the Ramakrishna Mission on 10th June 1998.

It is a matter of great joy that the historic Dilaram Bungalow, sanctified by the stay of  the Swamiji in 1892 has been handed over by the Government of Gujarat to the Ramakrishna Mission on 30 years' lease at a token rent of Re.1/- for converting it into a benefiting Memorial of Swami Vivekananda. A new branch centre of Ramakrishna Mission has also been started there in 2005.

Right from their inception all of these four centers are catering spiritual and humanitarian services r to the society, Shri Ramakrishna Ashrama, Rajkot also contributing to Gujarati literature by publishing  Ramakrishna  Vivekananda and Vedanta literature, to which, ‘Shri Ramakrishna Jyot’  a Gujarati monthly is added during 1989.

In the course of the time several  group of devotees, under the guidance of these four centers came forward to share humanitarian work, in the names of  the Holy Trinity.