Gaudiya Math Temple Foundation Ceremony

(Quoted from “Bengalee” Oct. 4th, 1928.)

On Wednesday last, the 26th ultimo, the ceremony for laying the foundation of the proposed Temple for the Gaudiya Math, Calcutta, was performed with great éclat. The plot of land at 16, Kali prosad Chakravarty Street, Bagbazar, recently secured for the Gaudiya Math, was very beautifully decorated with a pandal in the middle. At 7 A.M. the big procession with Sankirtan from the present Math arrived on the spot under the lead of Pandit Kunja Behari Vidyabhusan, whose whole-hearted labour brought the whole function to a successful end. Large number of people from various parts of Calcutta had already assembled there and the whole plot was overcrowded. His Divine Grace Paramahansa Sri Srimad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Maharaj entered the pandal amidst hearty cheers of the whole assembly. At the auspicious moment the necessary Puja and other ceremonials were duly performed. Sree Paramhansa Thakur solemnly laid the foundation-stone in the midst of loud and prolonged cries of “Haribol”. The ceremony being over Pandit Sundarananda Vidyavinode, B. A. delivered an interesting lecture tracing out therein the History of the Gaudiya Math since its inception, its aims, objects and its special line of activities as distinct from other Institutions of the kind in doing real and eternal good to the humanity at large. In course of his speech he went on to say that the Gaudiya Math implores the whole people of the world without any distinction whatsoever to suspend their present activities in all forms, to halt for a while in their breathless race only to listen for a moment to the message of the Math. The Math has taken upon itself the task of solving all problems in connection with it in the light of the Sanatan Shastras and to remove all possible doubts and misgivings that stand in the way of accepting the message of the Math. This is how the Math has arranged to do eternal good to one and all—good not only of the present life alone, but of the eternal life for all time to come. His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Maharaj in a neat little speech explained the significance and value of the activities of the Math-members, who are engaged in preaching the true teachings of Sriman Mahaprabhu Sri Sri Chaitanya Deva, who alone has kindly chalked out the royal road to eternal good for every being—which fact was so long not only unknown to the world but was perverted in its entirety.

Everybody present showered cordial benedictions upon the benevolent donor Jagatbandhu Datta, who was garlanded by Srila Paramahansa Thakur Himself.