Ramakrishna Sevashrama, Chittagong

Imbued with the ideal of "Service to man is service to God" for Atmano Mokshartham Jagat hitaya Ca (for one's own liberation and for the good of the world), work is worship, harmony of religions, teachings of Sri Ramakrishna "Serve God in men", spirituality and renunciation some young men organised at Gosairdanga, suburban of Chittagong town and established two schools separately for boys and girls in the name of Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Saradadevi respectively.

One of the young men was a respected school teacher, Debendra Das Chowdhury, who planned to shift the Ramakrishna Sevasrama in the town area for the benefit of maximum number of devotees. By the divine grace of Lord Sri Ramakrishna, he, with the help of few kind hearted admirers purchased some land in the west side of Asker Dighi.

In the year 1921, they built a Thakur Mandap made of kacha bamboo on that place and started daily worship, prayers and bhajans and weekly religious discourses. Local influential personalities like Dr. Pravat Kumar Dutta, Dr. Chittaharan Dutta, Advocate Madan Babu and Nikunja Bihari Chowdhury helped him in this noble endeavour. Then, for guidance, a managing committee was formed with Advocate Rashik Chandra Hazari, Advocate Yogesh Chandra Sen and Debendra Das Chowdhury as President, Vice President and Secretary respectively. The members are Manindra Dutta, Sub divisional Magistrate and Dr. Keshab Chandra Sen, Civil Surgeon. With the help of the committee members and generous admirers of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda the development works of the Sevasrama had been started. Sri Tarapada Bhattacharjee, disciple of Srimath Swami Virajanandaji Maharaj, the sixth president of Belur Math renounce the mundane life and joined in the Sevasrama. He served the Sevasrama till his death.

The Sevasrama with its limited resources has been rendering services to the society in the fields of spirituality, education, medical and monetary help irrespective of cast, creed and religion for the last eighty years. Since its inception, the Sevasrama has been conducting daily puja, weekly spiritual discourses, occasional spiritual retreats and various religious festivals. All the functions are attended by a large number of devotees and well wishers of Sevasrama.

It may be mentioned that Srimath Swami Abhedanandaji Maharaj, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, visited this Sevasrama in its early stage and later Srimath Swami Bhuteshanandaji Maharaj, the 12th President, Srimath Swami Gahananandaji Maharaj, the 14th President and Srimath Swami Atmasthanandaji Maharaj, the present President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna MIssion, Belur Math visited this centre towards the last part of twentieth century.

The Sevasrama was recognised as one of the Branch centre of Ramakrishna Mission in 2002.