Sri Sri Matri Mandir & Ramakrishna Mission Sarada Sevashrama, Joyrambati
Sri Sri Matri Mandir & Ramakrishna Mission Sarada Sevashrama, Joyrambati
Branch Centres of Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math

HISTORY

This beautiful temple has been built exactly on the spot where the Holy Mother was born and it was here that her father Ramchandra Mukhopadhyay had his original dwelling-house. The Holy Mother's marriage also took place in this very house and her parents lived there till she reached the ninth year of her age.

This temple was dedicated to the Holy Mother by Swami Saradananda on thursday, the 19th April 1923 (i.e. on third day of the lunar half of the month of Vaisakh called Akshaya-Tritiya). The white marble statue of the Holy Mother was installed in the temple on 8th April 1954, and a spacious Prayer Hall was also added as an annex to this temple. The sacred relics of the Holy Mother have been preserved in the Sanctum (Garbha-mandira) and the Holy Mother is daily worshipped with appropriate rites and offerings. The small-sized Shiva-Linga (the stone emblem of God Shiva) which was found at the time of digging the earth for the construction of this temple is also worshiped here.

The metallic flag embossed with the sacred word 'Ma' (Mother) adorns the crest of the dome of the temple and is calling, as it were, all travelers to come here to receive the infinite love and grace of the Holy Mother. Innumerable devotees are visiting this sacred place from far and near.

​PURATAN-BARI (OLD HOUSE) OF HOLY MOTHER

At the time of the division of properties among the brothers of the Holy Mother, the house where she had so long been living, fell to the share of her brother Prasanna Mukhopadhyay and she lived in that homestead along with him as before for a long time. This dwelling-place is called at present 'Mother's Old House' (Puratan Bari).

The authorities of Belur Math purchased the aforesaid house from the descendants of Prasanna and placed it under the care and supervision of the Ashrama for the preservation of the sacred memories of Holy Mother. She used this house for about fifty-two years (i.e. from1863 to 1915). Many persons received initiation, Brahmacharya and Sannyasa from her in this house and thus it became blessed. Besides, she held the worship of the Goddess Jagaddhatri in this very residence.

​NUTAN-BARI (NEW HOUSE) OF HOLY MOTHER

With the increase in the number of devotees, various kinds of difficulties cropped up regarding accommodation in the original house. That was why Swami Saradananda bought a piece of land on the western side of the tank called 'Punya Pukur', and got a separate house build thereon for Holy Mother in 1915-16. It was registered in the name of Goddess Jagaddhatri. This new house consists of four mud walled and straw roofed rooms in its four corners. She utilized one of these rooms as her bed-chamber and also for her worship of Sri Ramakrishna. She gave initiation, Brahmacharya and Sannyasa to aspirants in this room also. At present, this room has been converted into temple with a life-sized portrait of the Holy Mother installed therein. The room adjoining it was used as a kitchen whereas the room opposite to the kitchen was occupied by Nalini Didi, niece of the Holy Mother. The remaining room, which faces the west and is now encircled by railings, was reserved for the Holy Mother's worship of the Goddess Jagaddhatri, and, at other times, for the accommodation of devotees. The monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna such as Swami Saradananda and Swami Subodhananda and also other devotees lived in that room on the occasion of their visit to Joyrambati.

​SUNDAR NARAYAN DHARMA THAKUR'S TEMPLE

Sundar Narayan Dharma-Thakur, who is the ancestral Deity of Ramchandra Mukhopadhyay, enshrined in a small mud- walled thatched house consisting of two rooms. He is worshipped under two different names at two separate places. His temple is located on the north-western corner of the Punya-Pukur. In one of the rooms, there is the tortoise-shaped Dhama-Thakur named Sundar Narayana who is still worshipped by Sri Sri Matri Mandir and members of the Mukherjee-family by turns, along with Sitala Devi and the stone-emblem of Narayana installed therein. The Goddess Kali was worshipped in the adjoining room, but it has been discontinued for good. There is another temple of Dharma-Thakur named 'Yatra-Siddhi Ray' who is the village Deity. It stands at the western end of the village in front of the Mother's Ghat.

​PUNYA PUKUR

This tank lies on the eastern side of the Holy Mother's New House and in front of the temple. It is called Punya Pukur (the Holy Tank) because of its constant use by the Holy Mother.