All the followers of Sri Ramakrishna are eternally indebted to Bhavanath because he was responsible for the shrine photograph of the Master that devotees world wide worship today. In October 1883, Bhavanath brought a photographer, Abinash Chandra Dahn, to Dakshineswar from Baranagore to take a picture of the Master. The most authentic account of the circumstances surrounding this photo came from Swami Nirvanananda, who published the following brief report in Bengali in the Udbodhan [vol. 64, no. 12] in 1963:
One day at Belur, Swami Akhandananda asked us in the course of conversation: “Well, do you know anything about the photo of Sri Ramakrishna that is worshipped these days?” On being told by us that we knew very little, he related the following: “Bhavanath Chattopadhyay, a devotee of the Master from Baranagore, wanted to take a photograph of the Master. One day he requested him very strongly to give his consent, and on the afternoon of the next day brought a photographer along with him from Baranagore. He could not make the Master agree. The Master just walked away towards the Radhakanta temple.
“In the meantime Narendra arrived on the scene and heard everything. He said: ‘Wait a bit. I shall put everything straight.’ Saying this, he went to the veranda to the north of the Radhakanta temple where Sri Ramakrishna was sitting and started a religious conversation with him. The Master went into samadhi. Swamiji went and called others and ordered them to get ready quickly to take the picture.
“In that state of samadhi the Master’s body was bent on one side and therefore the cameraman went to make him sit erect by gently adjusting his chin. But as soon as he touched his chin, the Master’s whole body came up like a piece of paper — so light it was!
“Swamiji then told him: ‘Oh, what are you doing? Be quick. Get the camera ready.’ The cameraman took the exposure as hurriedly as possible. The Master was completely unaware of what happened.
“After some days, when Bhavanath brought the printed copy of the photo, the Master remarked: ‘This represents a high yogic state. This form will be worshipped in many homes as time goes on.’”