Swami Brahmananda (1863–1922), whose original name was Rakhal Chandra Ghosh, was son of a zemindar in the Basirhat area. While studying at the Metropolitan Institution at Kolkata, he met Narendranath Dutta in a gymnasium. He was influenced by Narendranath to join the Brahmo Samaj. In 1880, his brother-in-law, Manmohan Mitra, took him to Paramahamsadev. He was so impressed that he became a disciple and was subsequently known as the ‘spiritual son’ of Paramahamsadev. He was a wandering monk for some time. He spent most of his time at Puri and Bhubaneswar. He set up a math at Puri. When Ramakrishna Mission was formed, he was the first president.