The clarion call of Vedanta by Swami Vivekananda reverberated in USA and UK and the echoes rebounded and awakened many a souls in India.

    One such soul was Late Sri Venkataswami Naidu of Vaniyambadi. He read Swami Vivekananda's Vedanta lectures, was inspired and started preaching Vedanta in Tamil in Vellore, Krishnagiri Districts of Tamil Nadu. He might have met Swamiji in 1897 in Madras, Sri Naidu sought BLESSINGS from Swamiji for his Vedanta work in Tamil Nadu. Swamiji replied to him in 1900, this letter we have as evidence.

    Sri Naidu, established VIVEKANANDA SANGHAM, which was later on handed over to Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math in 1912 through Swami Sharvanandaj Maharaj, a disciple of the great Swami Brahmanandaji Maharaj and the Second President of Sri Ramakrishna Math. Chennai. This is the advent of Ramakrishna Math,  Nattarampalli; there is a commemorative plaque of those days.

    In 1926, Revered Swami Shivanandaji Maharaj, the Second President of the Holy Ramakrishna Order, visited Nattarampalli and laid Foundation for a Technical School; another plaque to commemorate.

    In 1956, an admirer of the HOLY TRIO, Late Govindasamy of Nattarampalli, gifted 5.38 acres of his land in neighbouring Hill Station, Yelagiri Hills, to Belur Math. This hilly terrain was looked after by the head of Nattarampalli Ashrama, although there was nothing except bare and desolate land and a forested region.    

    In 1968, Revered Swami Sureshanandaji Maharaj wanted to do intense Tapasya at Yelagiri. He found out that the place where he wanted to do Tapasya belonged to Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math. After obtaining proper permission from the Headquarters, he got built a hermitage (Kutia) with the help of M/s. M. M. Industries Ltd., Bengaluru. Revered Swami Sureshanandaji Maharaj did Tapasya here for some time and hereafter, many senior Swamis did Tapasya here. In 1968, 63 cents of contiguous land was purchased at a cost of Rs. 2,000/-. So, the total land in this place grew to 6 acres and more. 

    The present President Maharaj of this Holy Order, Srimat Swami Smarananandaji Maharaj was overwhelmed by this place, particularly finding it conducive for Tapasya. He visited the place 3/4 times and on one of his visits, he stayed for 7 days at a stretch, doing Tapasya.        

    In the year 2004, as a General Secretary of the Order, Revered Maharaj sanctioned Rupees five lakhs to build another Kutia consisting of two rooms. There were only 4 rooms available for Sadhus who can stay at a time at the Yelagiri Kutias till 2018. 

    Also, in 2004, a lady devotee from Chennai, namely, Smt. Meenakshi Suryakoti, gifted one acre of land adjacent to BSNL Office and Tower, to Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math. This land is located one and a half kilometres away from the main land.        

    Many Swamis did Tapasya here including the Sevak of Revered Swami Vireswaranandaji Maharaj, the 10th President, namely, Revered Swami Jnanananda (Barin Maharaj). He did Tapasya here for 18 years as the place is very congenial for Tapasya with evergreen forest, clean air and a complete silence zone away from the din and bustle of towns and cities.

    In 2018, our Headquarters in Belur Math decided to make YELAGIRI a full-fledged branch centre considering the fact that it would be difficult to manage it from Nattarampalli Ashrama, which is 33 kms away. A Project to carry out a construction of a joint building for a universal Temple and Monastics' Residency (Sadhu Niwas) came up with the permission of the Headquarters and duly completed in 2022.

    There are clear instructions from the Headquarters to keep the Tapasya nature of the place intact while carrying out service activities for the local poor people by running a Mobile Dispensary covering 14 villages of Yelagiri Hills, providing moral and ethical teaching to the economically poor students of this area and helping them in their academic subjects.