In 1892, from October 15 to 27 Professor GS Bhate and forest officer Haripada Mitra were destined for the golden opportunity to host Swami Vivekanand in Belagavi. The Risaldar Galli house (near Belgaum fort area) of Mr. Bhate was the place where Swami Ji stayed on his Belgaum visit.
There he stayed for 4 days as the guest of Mr. Bhate, the room in which Swami Ji stayed is being preserved till now which contains a cot, stick, and a standing mirror that were used by him. Another place where Swami Ji stayed was the house of Haripada Mitra, which is now preserved as the monument in the main Ramkrishna mission ashram premise.
The discovery of his place of visit in Belagavi was initiated by Swami Smaranananda Ji Maharaj in 1998, who was the general secretary of Ramkrishna math. It was known that Swami Ji stayed at Haripada Mitra house, but it was not clear which particular house it was.
After long research, it was found that Survey No.357, Mansingh Thapa Road, Fort, Belagavi – 590 016, was the blessed house of Sri Haripada Mitra where Swami Ji had stayed for 9 days in Oct 1892. When it was confirmed, the state government handed this holy place to the Ramkrishna Math and mission.
Under Ramakrishna Math control and with the direction of Swami Purushottamanandaji Maharaj, the place was renovated a few times to make it look the same way as it was during Swami Ji’s visit. After the renovation was completed then CM Sri S.M. Krishna inaugurated the place on May 23rd, 2001. And Swami Samranananda Ji Maharaj laid the Ashram’s foundation. On the very occasion then PWD minister Sri Dharam Singh provided with additional 0.9 acres of adjacent land for construction purposes.
From then till today, Ramkrishna Mission Ashram is devoted in providing its fullest support for better and healthy society by helping in natural calamities, by providing medical camps, by providing healthy food and yogic practices for the children for their better physical, mental, and spiritual diet, by providing scholarships and book exhibitions for students, by distributing clothes to needy people and many more such services which help in our upliftment as a better society.