Ramakrishna Math in Chennai was established by Sri Ramakrishna and is a monastery for men. Sri Ramakrishna was a saint from Bengal and lived during the 19th century. He established the first branch of the math in Chennai as part of the Ramakrishna Order in Southern India. The math was opened in 1897 by Swami Ramakrishnanda who was the direct follower of Sri Ramakrishna.
Iced House is the first monastery that was built. The structure is also known as Castle Kernan and is located near the sea beach of Triplicane. It has three storeys, and Swami Vivekananda lived in this house when he returned from the West. He was given a grand welcome by the people of Madras.
Swami Ramakrishnanada himself lived in the Ice House and conducted all his activities from here. He set up a shrine dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna and also opened an orphanage for children. This orphanage has now grown into a large institution, The Ramakrishna Mission Students Home.