Ice House (Vivekananda House)

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Vivekananda House, located on Marina Beach Road of Chennai, is a popular tourist site and a historic place.

In 1833 CE, ice was imported for the first time in India. A merchant named Fredric Tudor from Boston, USA brought ice to India. He built houses in  Chennai, Calcutta and Mumbai, to keep ice under proper insulation. This article is about the Chennai house. 

This Ice House in Chennai was built in the Victorian architectural style. It was used for the purpose of storing ice, and hence people called it 'Ice House.' Later, a Chennai based lawyer named Biligiri Iyengar bought this house.

"Arise, awake; and stop not till the goal is reached" - the inspirational quote is from one of India's most influential persons in the 19th century, Swami Vivekananda. He was considered as the one who spread Hinduism, Vedanta and Yoga to European countries and the USA. A lot of national leaders of India in the 20th century got inspired by his speech. He was the major force in modern India for the revival of the Hinduism religion. In 1893 CE, he addressed the audience gathered at Parliament of World's Religions in Chicago, USA, as "brothers and sisters" and introduced Hinduism to the international community. His speech brought him great fame.

After the successful tour of the West, Swami Vivekanda returned to India via Chennai in 1897 CE. He stayed in Ice House between February 6, 1897, and February 15, 1897. During these ten days, he delivered seven inspirational speeches. 

In February 1997, a hundred years after Swami's visit to Chennai, the government gave this structure to Ramakrishna Math on lease. Since then, this building became a museum on life of Swami Vivekananda.

The memorial houses a gallery of around 150 rare photographs of the life of Vivekanda. It also houses a section on India's cultural heritage and on the history of the building itself. The place is a must-visit for Vivekananda's devotees and those who are interested in heritage and history. 

Happy travelling.



Visit my site, krishnakumartk.com, to know more about the travel guides and other books that I have written.






Location: Marina Beach

Comments

  1. Charles RinehartWednesday, August 19, 2009

    A first class blog. I enjoyed. I am returning the favor for you commenting on my blog. You are a class act. All the best.

    ReplyDelete
  2. mannabWednesday, August 19, 2009

    No doubt, Swami Vivekanand stayed in Ice House in Chennai, but he melted the ice collected on our feelings towards Hindu religion and nationality. I am grateful to you to explore this unique place in Chennai. I have noted this for my visit in future.
    Mangesh Nabar

    ReplyDelete
  3. BadriFriday, November 19, 2010

    I lived in this area for 19 years. Your blog brought back unforgotten and pleasant memories.

    ReplyDelete

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