Auroville - the City of Dawn
Our final adventure on our long weekend away was Auroville. This is a unique town about 6km from Pondicherry where the purpose is to realise human unity. It is a place where the dream is for men and women to live in harmony with no impact of creed, politics or nationality. They currently have a community of over 3000 permanent residents, of which just over half are non-indian, living a fully sustainable life within the grounds of Auroville.
I must say, that the surrounding villages are also taking up the charge, with amazing organic and sustainable cafes, clothing and decor shops dotting the roads.
Visiting Auroville is a must do when in Pondicherry, and if you are able to get there a day (or two) before, you may be lucky enough to get a ticket to visit the famous Mantrimandir. They will only provide a ticket, a day or two in advance and it must be received in person. The entire place is not really designed for tourism, and they are trying to deter throngs of people coming just to have a stickybeak. Now, you might say, well isn't that what you were doing Susie ? In some ways, yes, but I was aware of this meaning and was truly interested in spending some time in a world of meditation, self discovery and living a better life. And I did leave my camera and judgement at the gate and thoroughly enjoyed our morning there.
The Mother, (Mirra Alfassa) was the driving force of the community and her dream was of a balanced and harmonious community back in 1954. She knew it wouldn't happen quickly, or without struggles and she passed away before experience and sharing the 'Auroville' of today. However, her vision is still ongoing, with the gardens and the grounds still being designed and developed by the residents. Remember, she only had a vision/dream - no actual plans were made, so it is quite the process of working out what to do next.
The inside of the dome 'Mantrimandir' is absolutely stunning - Jack and I nicknamed it the big 'Ferrero Rocher' - but if you look at it closely you will see that the concept was of a dream coming out of the ground, with the brick petals looking like the earth parting. There is no speaking once you get to the dome and whilst walking around and being inside you are in total silence. Jack and I actually really enjoyed that aspect and it makes you really stay connected. There is flowing water, petal shape marble water feature at the base of the centre of the dome and 4 main entrances on each side. Once inside, you are overcome with a feeling of 'white' ! The marble walls, the white carpet, marble balustrades - every thing is white and once the doors close, the silence is deafening. You wind you way up a steep circular path to the top and then enter another white room with 12 sides. You are then able to sit in complete silence and discover your inner peace. We stayed for 15 minutes in complete silence.
The Mother, (Mirra Alfassa) was the driving force of the community and her dream was of a balanced and harmonious community back in 1954. She knew it wouldn't happen quickly, or without struggles and she passed away before experience and sharing the 'Auroville' of today. However, her vision is still ongoing, with the gardens and the grounds still being designed and developed by the residents. Remember, she only had a vision/dream - no actual plans were made, so it is quite the process of working out what to do next.
The inside of the dome 'Mantrimandir' is absolutely stunning - Jack and I nicknamed it the big 'Ferrero Rocher' - but if you look at it closely you will see that the concept was of a dream coming out of the ground, with the brick petals looking like the earth parting. There is no speaking once you get to the dome and whilst walking around and being inside you are in total silence. Jack and I actually really enjoyed that aspect and it makes you really stay connected. There is flowing water, petal shape marble water feature at the base of the centre of the dome and 4 main entrances on each side. Once inside, you are overcome with a feeling of 'white' ! The marble walls, the white carpet, marble balustrades - every thing is white and once the doors close, the silence is deafening. You wind you way up a steep circular path to the top and then enter another white room with 12 sides. You are then able to sit in complete silence and discover your inner peace. We stayed for 15 minutes in complete silence.
It is so hard for me to block all thoughts out and focus on something, but in this environment, it was definitely easier. The surrounding gardens of the dome are still being created but there is the most amazing banyan tree that only had one trunk when the development began, it now has 32 trunks ! The land that Auroville is built on was previously a lush jungle-like area, and was then completely deforested before 1954. Since the land was obtained, the main focus has been to ensure the growth of trees, grass and native flowers, and it is now a beautiful green oasis for the community to enjoy.
As mentioned, photos aren't really allowed, and as it's purpose is NOT tourism, I have used stock photos from the Auroville centre to give you an indication of what it looks like.
I really cannot do it justice in my blog, but I highly recommend you visit the website and learn more about this fabulous community : https://auroville.org
I really cannot do it justice in my blog, but I highly recommend you visit the website and learn more about this fabulous community : https://auroville.org
I must say, that the surrounding villages are also taking up the charge, with amazing organic and sustainable cafes, clothing and decor shops dotting the roads.
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| from the air you can see the progress of the gardens and the beautiful layout |
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| Mantrimandir - appearing to be rising out form the Earth |
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| The symbol above is actually the design of the inside of the dome. Each of the petals are small meditation rooms and are the colour associated to the power alongside. |
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