If it weren't for the surrounding trees, you'd already see it from the distance: from the empty fields of Tamil Nadu rises a majestic golden globe made out of numerous steel circles on the outside, and each day, hundreds and even thousands of people visit it. These are not a conspiracy cult or a group of lunatics, they are citizens from the bizarre utopia of Auroville, and you are too. But to understand this, first a bit of history.
Sri Aurobindo was always an interesting figure from the time he was a child. Born in Calcutta to a wealthy British surgeon, he became a renowned student at prestigious colleges in London and Cambridge. After finishing his political studies, he served the Maharaja for more than a decade; afterwards, he became India's first national leader to openly express a desire for independence in his own newspaper. This led to his imprisonment twice, during which he discovered his spiritual path: he spent the rest of his life doing yoga, writing books, and teaching others. Ultimate vision for his life was to create a universal township to symbolize the unity of humanity: Auroville. On 14 August 1947, Prime Minister Nehru made his "Tryst with Destiny" speech to mark India's independence; Aurobindo lived to witness the moment, yet he did not live to see the inauguration of Auroville. Nonetheless, his spiritual collaborator Mirra Alfassa did.
| Sri Aurobindo (from Wikimedia Commons ) |
On February 1968, members from 124 different states were gathered in a modern amphitheater somewhere in the heart of India, under the shadow of a lone but huge bamyan tree. They were carefully listening to the opening speech of Auroville via a public radio broadcast by Mirra Alfassa, who informed about the inauguration in 16 different languages. Later she would receive the name "The Mother" as she gave birth to the township. This event was the center of attention of the whole country for some days, as India's Ministry of Education boosted its popularity. A promising message of freedom, hope and a better future in an era of wars.
Now, in a nutshell, Auroville is a sort of anarchist parallel universe with rainbows and sunshine where all humans can live joined and happily, or at least, that's the objective. Their forms of life could be a downside for certain people, though; as no drinking, smoking or cars are allowed (on the other side, a bike shop could be a good business). Money doesn't exist, nor does private property (forget about the bike shop). The only thing that is worth something, is the individual. Additionally, Auroville is ruled by a governing board of seven representatives chosen by the Indian authorities. But apart from the form of life, another interesting factor is the urban planning and architecture of the township.
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| Close-up of the Matrimandir (from Pexels) |
Firstly, your eye will be caught by its singular shape, which equals a circle with a diameter of 5 kilometers that resembles a spinning galaxy. This circle is divided in four sectors (Residential, Industrial, Cultural and International), that encompass the so-called "Peace Zone" Here stands the previously mentioned amphitheater and the lone bamyan tree, but over all, the impressive Matrimandir, pictured at the beginning this blog post, a colossal golden glowing globe named "The Soul of Auroville". This name makes reference to its position as the main temple of the whole place and it even has got its own website. There, I learned that it is basically composed of 12 adjacent petals, and at the same time, supported by four stairways that work besides as pillars for the sphere. The exact middle-point is occupied by an inner chamber made for meditation and concentration. On the other side, the spinning galaxy is encompassed by the Green Belt, a wildlife sanctuary.
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| Aerial view of Auroville (from Wikimedia Commons) |
Sources and Picture Credits:
Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication (Learn more)
Picture 4 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:KalkiRaj
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