Located in the state of Tamil Nadu, the city of Auroville or City of Dawn is known today as the first and only internationally approved experiment in the unification of humanity and the transformation of consciousness, which, in addition, is related to practical research in the field of life support at the necessary level of the future cultural, natural, social and spiritual needs of humanity.
On February 28, 1968, about 5,000 people gathered near a banyan tree in the center of the future town for a ceremony attended by representatives of 124 countries, including all Indian states. The representatives brought with them some of the soil from their homeland, which they mixed in a white marble urn in the shape of a lotus, which is now in the hearth of the amphitheater.
The heart of Auroville is the Matrimandir or House of the Mother, a unique structure in the form of a sphere covered with gilded plates, which houses a room for meditation.
Today, this temple is one of the architectural wonders of the world. There are no windows in the walls, a vertical pillar of light descends from the hole in the center of the ceiling. During the day, the pillar of light is the sun’s rays, reflected and directed into the Hall by the mirrors of the heliostat, which is controlled by a special computer that sets the exact orientation of the mirrors in the sun. At night and when the sun is hidden by clouds, the light comes from LED point sources installed at the top of the dome.
In the center of the Hall there is a concentration object on which a vertical column of sunlight falls. This object is a crystal weighing over 400 kg and 70 cm in diameter, specially made from optically clear glass.
12 multi-colored petals – zones for self-immersion – are set aside for meditations and helping the people of Auroville gain insights, decide on setting and solving certain life goals. Each zone corresponds to certain human virtues that have been outlined by one of them of the founders of Auroville Mirra Alfass: Sincerity, Humility, Gratitude, Perseverance, Aspiration, Receptivity, Progress, Courage, Kindness, Generosity, Balance, Peace.
Matrimandir is calm, clean and full energy place. If you wish get to know your “I” and be in complete silence alone with yourself – that’s where you go. But tourists get to group meditation is quite difficult – it is preceded by several levels of special preparation and personal acquaintance with you of outstanding personalities of the city. For to become a resident For Auroville, a person must express himself this remaining in city for at least a year in as a volunteer, and following the rules of Auroville. Here they are:
1. Auroville
is not someone’s property. It belongs to all mankind.
2. Auroville is a place of continuous education, tireless progress and unfading
youth
3. Auroville is a bridge between the past and the future. Its purpose is to
boldly strive for future discoveries, using all achievements
the inner and outer world of man.
4. Auroville is a center of material and spiritual research that prepares the living
the embodiment of true human Unity.
Auroville not only conveys the essence of spirituality. It is also a center for various types of healing, spiritual and physical practices such as watsu, yoga, tai chi and more. Classical dance classes, music and various social, agricultural and environmental projects keep locals and tourists busy.
Auroville consists of different zones such as: peace zone, industrial zone, residential zone, international zone, cultural zone and green belt. From an arid desert, the inhabitants of Auroville managed to create a lush forest, which sometimes looks like a wild jungle, where today more than 3,000 inhabitants of 70 different nationalities live among a great biodiversity of animals and birds.
It was planned that Auroville would be able to accommodate more than 50,000 residents, but the community is still not ready for this. Despite the disputes and differences of opinion among the city’s residents, its development is also slowed by a significant water shortage. Coincidentally, due to the processes of global climate change, every year more and more of Auroville’s land is captured by the ocean…
The founders of Auroville are Mirra Alfassa and her spiritual teacher Sri Aurobindo
Mirra Alfassa (Paris 21 February 1878 – Pondicherry 17 November 1973). Her mother was originally from Egypt, and her father was from Turkey. Being an extremely gifted child, she became an artist and musician. Mirra first heard about Sri Aurobindo from a friend, and later met him twice in Pondicherry while traveling in India with her husband, Paul Richard. In April 1920, Mirra returned to Pondicherry and joined Sri Aurobindo, never to leave him again. In 1968, she was one of the founders of the city of Auroville, the purpose of which is to realize the ideal of human unity in its diversity.
We are not fighting against any faith or religion. We are not fighting against any government. We are not fighting against any class. We are not fighting against any nation or civilization.
We fight against division, unconsciousness, ignorance, inertia and lies. We strive to establish knowledge, unity, truth, consciousness on Earth, and we fight against that which opposes the coming of a new creation, the coming of Light, Peace, Truth and Love.
– Mirra Alfassa
