Jairambati is a prime religious destination in Bankura district, West Bengal. It is the birthplace of Sarada Devi, wife of Sri Ramakrishna worshipped as the “Holy Mother”, better known as “Ma Sarada”.
Sarada Devi was born in Jairambati village in 1853. This village with its sacred traditions has now become a holy place of pilgrimage, particularly among followers of Sri Ramakrishna. This village has many temples and historical houses in which Saradadevi spent her childhood and the rest of life.
There is ‘Matrimandir” dedicated to Ma Sarada devi, the spiritual consort of Sri Ramakrishna. The temple was constructed on the birthplace of Ma Sarada devi and it was here that her father Ramchandra Mukhopadhyaya 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 annexe 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. Innumerable devotees are visiting this sacred place from far and near.
Inside the temple premise on the right side of the main gate is Mother’s ancestral house. On the opposite side of this house is a relatively new house where she stayed from 1916 to 1920.
The village hosts a temple of Vivekananda monks and the orphanage school for boys that the monks operate. The school hosts around 250 boys, providing them with an education through junior high. There is a temple called “Naranarayan Temple” where a child of below 5 years of age is worshipped as “God Narayan” at 10:00 A.M daily. This is a unique experiment started by Swami Nityanandaji Maharaj of Vivekananda Math to manifest the saying of “Shiva in Jiva”. The offerings in this puja are unusual which suits the need of a child like, a pair of shirt and trouser, toys, books, pen and pencil etc.
There is a big lake called ‘Mother’s Tank’. It is said that the Holy Mother in her girlhood used to cut grass for cows in neck-deep water from this very tank. At present water is supplied to this reservoir from the river Amodar by means of an electric pump and is used for the irrigation of the surrounding fields. There is another tank called ‘Barunjjey Pukur’ (i.e. Banerji’s tank) which lies on the south-eastern corner of this village and is surrounded with palmyra trees.
The annual festival associated with the birthday of Sri Ramakrishna is a prime celebration in this village.
Source:
http://www.rkmjoyrambati.org/matrimandir/index.html
http://www.indiatourism4u.in/tourism/661/WestBengal/Jairambati/
http://www.vedantastl.org/photo-gallery/holy-places/17189362?originalSize=true