First, we were taken to Auroville. On the way, Bishnu gave us the background story on how this city came to be. It was the brain child of Sri Aurobindo Ashram (also known as the Mother) and was planned to be a “universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity.” With that concept in mind – construction began in 1970 to build the Matrimandir – the soul of Auroville (Sun City). The structure is amazing to look at from the outside – but knowing the concepts that brought it together make it even more special. It is still under construction – near completion – primarily because it is dependent on donations.
We weren’t allowed to go inside the structure, but our guide gave insights to some of the purposes. The golden globe is set on four pillars so it appears to be “floating” from a distant view. Inside the upper half of the globe is a unique meditation room that is completely white – white ceiling, white carpet and white marble walls. There is only a crystal ball in the center of the room – no pictures or statues. It is meant for pure meditation. The brick structures shooting out from the bottom are called “petals” and inside each one is a separate meditation room with a unique color and purpose.
Sincerity - light blue
Peace - deep blue
Equality - blue violet
Generosity - pure violet
Goodness - reddish violet
Courage - red
Progress - orange red
Receptivity - orange
Aspiration - orange yellow
Perseverance - pale yellow
Gratitude - pale green
Humility - deep green
There is an amphitheatre next to the globe today. At the time of Auroville’s inauguration ceremony in 1968, there was no amphitheatre as yet; a shape had been dug in the ground and, at its focus, a white Urn in the shape of a lotus bud hade been place on top of a small mound which was clad with bricks. During the inauguration, there was a male and female child preset from 124 countries that each brought a hand full of soil from their homeland and place in the urn to symbolize unity.
Later, Bishnu took us the Sacred Heart Catholic church in Pondicherry that was built for the lower class people that had converted to Christianity. The church has amazing color in it that was characteristic for the Indian people.
After the church, we went to look at traditional Tamil homes and Bishnu explained the purposes of the various architectural characteristics. It was so interesting!! Next, we had a 4 hour drive to our destination at Mahabalipuram. We will have dinner this evening with Ram and continue with our last day of the tour tomorrow.
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