The decision to make the ancestral home of Swami Vivekananda a public memorial was taken in 1962. After almost 40 years it has happened.
During Swamijiâ??s time, the house was surrounded by a garden and beyond that there was a large open space. But in later years, owing to the cityâ??s growth and its ever increasing buildings, the approach road to the house got narrowed into a lane, now known as Gour Mohan Mukherjee Street.Earlier a massive doorway opened to the street outside. The spacious courtyard was bordered on two sides by the main building, which had two parts. To the right was a single-storey structure having rooms for men-folk. Facing the doorway and across the courtyard, was the two-storey ladiesâ?? apartment. The ground floor of this was used as a kitchen and dining hall. Above this were dwelling chambers. The roof of this building served as the place where the ladies met, talked and moved freely. It was a small temporary shade on this roof that Swami Vivekananda was born. This is now being turned to a beautiful shrine, where a rosewood simhasan carrying the photograph of Swamiji has been placed. [SWAMI VIVEKANANDAâ??S HOME - A HERITAGE SITE via India Archaeology]