Vivekanandar Illam museum

A divine place to find some solace and peace of mind amidst the hustle-bustle and chaos of life, Vivekanandar Illam or Vivekananda House Museum is a place of significance for the people of Chennai. It is the place where Swami Vivekananda stayed for 9 days after his return from America and the museum houses multiple pictures and plays short movies of his life ad his speeches to enlighten the youth about this pious personality.

About the Museum

Vivekanandar Illam, also known as Vivekananda House, is one of the most significant landmarks in Chennai, linked to the spreading of the Ramakrishna Movement in South India. This is the place where Swami Vivekananda took shelter for nine days in 1897, after his arrival from the west. It was Sri Ramakrishna Math’s spiritual organization branch in Chennai which ran from the year 1897 to 1906, which now functions as the Experience Vivekananda Museum. It attracts numerous devotees and travelers through its impressive exhibits pertaining to Indian culture and different facets of the life of Swami Vivekananda through picture galleries, AR, and VR.

The Vivekanandar Illam was actually constructed by the Britishers to store ice and was known as the ice house. Later, it was bought by Advocate Biligiri Iyengar which he renovated and remodeled to be his residence and renamed it, Castle Kernan. When Swami Vivekananda visited Madras in 1897, he asked him to take shelter in his house and after his departure, decided to set up a permanent Centre here. Swami Ramakrishna, a fellow disciple, established the spiritual organization Ramakrishna Math Chennai.

Some of the activities you can do at Vivekananda House are:

• Sightseeing the picture arcades: The picture gallery in Swami Vivekananda House displays the rich cultural heritage of India through different pictures and landscapes of different parts of the nation and its ethnicity along with interesting incidents from the childhood of Swami Vivekananda and his wandering days.
• Visiting the Meditation Room: It is an ideal place for solitude and to have some peace of mind on the second floor of Vivekananda Illam. It was the same room where Swamiji stayed meditated upon his arrival in 1897.
• Watching 3D and 4D VR Movies: The museum plays a short VR movie titled ‘Tears of Vivekananda’, in which visitors can experience his days of wandering in India and his popular speech at the World’s Parliament of Religions. Other 3D movies such as ‘Parliament of Religions’ and ‘Mind Your Mind’ are also shown here.
• Experiencing the AR: The museum offers a full-fledged Ask Vivekananda AR experience where visitors can ask questions from a list and Swami Vivekananda answers them as if he is live on screen. Sounds fascinating right?
• Wander in the park: The museum has a lush-green beautiful park with exhibits comprising messages and teaching of Swami Vivekananda and lots of beautiful flowers to delight your senses.