Swami Vivekananda's wanderings in India ended when he reached Chennai in January 1893. His young, enthusiastic disciples in Chennai were primarily responsible for his historic participation at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Throughout Swamiji's 4-year-stay in the West, he kept in close touch with his Chennai-followers. He received in Chennai an unprecedented welcome when he returned in February 1897. At that time he stayed for 9 days at the Ice House (now Vivekanandar Illam), not far from the present Math.

When the devotees of Chennai requested Swami Vivekananda to have a permanent centre here, he said, "Yes, I shall send you one who is more orthodox than your most orthodox men of the south and who is at the same time unique and unsurpassed in his worship and meditation of God." After reaching Calcutta in February 1897, he deputed his brother disciple, Swami Ramakrishnananda, to initiate the Order's activities in South India.

Thus was laid the foundation of Chennai Math by Swami Vivekananda.

Swami Ramakrishnananda arrived in Chennai sometime in mid-March 1897. He stayed at the Ice House, the majestic building that overlooks the sea, on the Triplicane Beach. And it was there that Sri Ramakrishna Math was started. Sasi Maharaj (as the swami was fondly known) lived there for ten years. His life was one long sacrifice at the altar of the Divine. Everything that he did was done in the spirit of worship.

None to help him in the management of the Math affairs, the Swami was his own cook, his own servant; he was the priest and the preacher. Disseminating his Master's ideas and ideals through teaching and preaching was the core of his daily life.

He used to take as many as eleven classes per week in different parts of the city. Buses and trams had not yet appeared; jutkas, the only mode of conveyance, were too much for the Swami. Hence the Swami had to go by walk.

Marvellous was the masterly attitude that the Swami maintained with utter selflessness, considering himself a servant of the Lord.

The only night meal he had on many days was a piece of bread which he had got from his students on his way back from the class.

Swami Ramakrishnananda was a karmayogi and he had unwavering faith in his guru. He stuck to his post of duty assigned to him by his leader and brother disciple, Swami Vivekananda, and the difficulties did vanish.

It was only at the Math that the Hindus of the south learnt for the first time to sit together for prasad-meals with everyone, without bothering about caste-distinctions. This was a revolution, which took place at Vivekanandar Illam, the first Math.

In November 1907, owing to change in the ownership of the Ice House building, Math had to find a new place. So it was shifted to its present site on a plot (in front of the existing old shrine building), at Mylapore. This was gifted by Sri A. Kondiah Chettiar, a close devotee of the Math.

The adjacent plots were acquired in subsequent years and the present building is built in 1922.

If today the publication department has developed into one of the most popular houses for spiritual literature in India, it was Swami Ramakrishnananda who sowed the seed for it.

His unremitting labours of 14 long years (1897-1911) in southern India sowed the seeds of our present centres in Bangalore, Mysore, Trivandrum, and Bombay.

In obeyance to Vivekananda's call to 'serve the living God,' the swami inaugurated a home for the helpless poor students in Feb 1905 with a nucleus of 7 boys. This is now functioning as a separate institution under the name Ramakrishna Mission Students' Home.

Thus, Swami Ramakrishnananda offered himself as an oblation to this great sacrifice of human well-being. The secret of his success in missionary work is that he himself became the oblation.

Swami Ramakrishnananda 'tilled the soil and sowed the seed' of the Order's work in and around Chennai. The monks who came after him manured and fostered the crop and his successors today are reaping a rich harvest. This is the continuing story of the Chennai Math.