History of the Centre at Geneva
Swami Yatishwarananda, a monk of the Ramakrishna Order, visited regularly Geneva in the thirties of the last century. He established an ashrama in Engadin near the Austrian border. This ashrama was short lived, as the Swami left Europe just before second world war.
Almost twenty years later, at the request of Dr. Baumann, the then Director of the Institute of Anatomy in Geneva, Swami Nityabodhananda arrived in Geneva to give talks on Vedanta. Before his coming to Geneva, the remarkable among his jobs was the editing of the English magazine Vedanta Keshari. Lodged in an apartment in the first floor of 20 Avenue Peschier, the Swami began his work. Under his inspiration, the Vedanta enthusiasts in Geneva created, in the second half of 1962, the Association for the Study of Vedanta in Europe (abridged name in French AEVE). Mr. M.J. Treina, an ex-Minister of Geneva, was the first president of the AEVE; Dr. Baumann was the second President.
On 25th May, 1969 the AEVE metamorphosed into an association called Centre Védantique and Swami Nityabodhananda became its President. This centre became affiliated to the Order of Ramakrishna of which the central ashrama is at Belur near Calcutta in India.
The Centre Védantique constructed its own house at Corsier at 9 Chemin des Gravannes and got shifted there on 25th November, 1972. In March 1988 Swami Nityabodhananda, on health ground, left Switzerland to live in India. Swami Amarananda, till that time Assistant Director of the Vedanta Centre in France, was designated by the central ashrama to assume the succession. Before his coming to europe, the remarkable among his jobs was to head the team of teachers for a residential secondary school in India. Towards the end of January 1989, the new Swami came to work in Geneva. In May 1999, the Centre Védantique sold its property at Corsier and acquired a house at 63 Avenue d’Anre.
