SWAMI VIVEKANANDA, the great patriot saint of India, had an unerring vision of the rejuvenation of his motherland. With firm conviction, he said, "The national ideals of India are renunciation and service. Intensify her in those channels, and the rest will take care of itself.("Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 5, 1992, P.228.)

These twin ideals led Swami Vivekananda to found the Ramakrishna Math and Mission - organizations of sannyasins whose lives are dedicated to attaining self-realization and to serving humanity irrespective of caste, creed or nationality through cultural, educational, medical, and disaster relief endeavors.

Even though the Ramakrishna Math and Mission were founded first, Swamiji believed: "Without Shakti (Power) there is no regeneration for the world. . . Mother has been born to revive that wonderful Shakti in India; and making her the nucleus, once more will Gârgis and Maitreyis be born into the world."

Thus he stated: "With the Holy Mother as the centre of inspiration, a Math is to be established on the eastern bank of the Ganga. As Brahmacharins and Sādhus will be trained in this (Belur Math) here, so in the other Math also Brahmacharinis and Sadhvis will be trained."

While Swamiji's desire did not take shape during his lifetme due to lack of education among women and unfavourable social conditions, his words bore fruit a mere fifty years later.

For, at this time, a number of religious and educated women came forward as Brahmacharinis and Sadhvis to dedicate their lives in the manner Swamiji had envisioned.

Seeing their intense motivation and commitment, the senior monks of the Ramakrishna Math gave Swami Vivekananda's plans of a women's math concrete shape.

In 1954, the year of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi's birth centenary, a small piece of land with a few buildings on it was procured on the eastern bank of the Ganga, north of the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple.

On 2 December of that same year, Swami Shankarananda, the seventh President of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, performed the opening ceremony of the Sri Sarada Math in the presence of senior monks and Trustees of the Ramakrishna Order among whom were Swami Vishuddhananda, the Vice-President, Swami Madhavananda, the General Secretary, Swami Vireshwarananda, one of the Assistant Secretaries and brahmacharinis headed by Sarala Devi who had been Sri Sarada Devi's personal attendant and a large number of householder devotees.

The opening of Sri Sarada Math, as contemplated by Swami Vivekananda, added a new and very significant chapter to the socio-religious history of India.

Sri Sarada Math was successfully run by the brahmacharinis for some years under the guidance of the Trustees of the Ramakrishna Math. Then it was decided to hand it over to the brahmacharinis so that their work would be carried on independently.

The first step towards this took place on Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi's birthday, 1 January, 1959, when eight senior brahmacharinis of Sri Sarada Math were invested with sannyasa by Swami Shankarananda, the President of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. This was a preliminary step to the formation of an independent women's organization.

On 26 August, 1959, the Sri Sarada Math was given independent status. The seven sannyasinis became its Trustees by virtue of a Deed of Trust executed by the President of the Ramakrishna Math, Swami Shankarananda. (Deed No.4109 for the year 1959 registered on 9.9.1959). Sarala Devi became the first President of Sri Sarada Math and was given the name Pravrajika Bharatiprana.