Auroville..
On 26th September 2021 at 11 AM we checked out Andhra Bhavan ashram Pondicherry for Auroville which is just 20 Km away. Reached Auroville within an hour and after completing formalities checked in Atithi Gruh guest house which we have booked 2-3 days earlier. We have taken a bungalow in which on ground floor has a big hall with 2 washrooms and 2 beds with varanda's front and backside and a bedroom upstairs with 3 beds. Rate is Rs 2600/- per day with complimentary breakfast. We liked it very much. But problem faced is that there are too many mosquitos in the evening.
Auroville is an experimental township in Viluppuram district, mostly in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, with some part in the Union Territory of Pondicherry in India. It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (called Mother) and designed by architect Roger Anger.
On 27th September 2022 morning we went to visit Matrimandir with pre-booking. At the office we parked our car.
In the middle of the town is the Matrimandir, which was conceived by Alfassa as "a symbol of the Divine's answer to man's aspiration for perfection". Silence is maintained inside the Matrimandir to ensure the tranquility of the space and the entire area surrounding the Matrimandir is called the Peace area. Inside the Matrimandir, a spiraling ramp leads upwards to an air-conditioned chamber of polished white marble referred to as "a place to find one's consciousness".
Matrimandir is equipped with a solar power plant and is surrounded by manicured gardens. When there is no sun or after the sunset, the sunray on the globe is replaced by a beam from a solar-powered light.
For visiting Matrimandir from inside or from Matrimandir view point one has to do booking at office. For elderly people they provide bus service free if cost. From drop point you have to walk for 10 minutes. On the way to Matrimandir View point we saw a huge Baniyan tree.
By late 1965, the time had come to define the centre of Auroville. Roger Anger, the French architect to whom the Mother had asked to design the future town, brought to her a map of the area north of Puducherry. She was in her room at the Ashram and had probably never set foot in that area, for at that time there was no motorable road leading to it. She concentrated and pointed to a particular area on the map.
The architect took a jeep and drove to the area she had pointed at and found there a solitary banyan tree in an almost totally barren plateau overlooking the Bay of Bengal. The Mother was very happy about the presence of a banyan tree, a tree regarded as sacred in India and decided to make it Auroville’s geographical centre. This Banyan Tree (Ficus benghalensis) belongs to the Ficus (fig tree) family and is now probably a little more than a hundred years old. The Banyan Tree, with its peculiar aerial roots is spread across at a diameter of 50 meters (164 feet). From Matrimandir view point again by Auroville bus we were back to office and then by our car to Atithi Gruh guest house.
On 28 January we took two bicycles on rent. Bicycle rent is Rs 60/- per day per cycle. Here you cannot pay by cash. Instead of paper and coin currency, residents are given account numbers to connect to their central account. Visitors are requested to get a temporary account and an Aurocard (debit card). Residents of Auroville are expected to make a monthly contribution to the community. So we took Aurocard to pay money for cycle rent.
Me and wife with bicycle went to Savitri Bhawan and Sound Garden.
Savitri Bhawan is a gallery of photos with vital information about shri aurobindo and the Mother. A tribute to the great Sage. His Statue is placed just outside. If you are in pondichhery as well as auroville then must visit Savitri bhavan to know more deeper about the concept "Auroville " and shri Aurovindo as well as the Mother. If you want some place where you can sit and read peacefully then savithri bhavan is the best one . Calm and peaceful place. Savitri Bhavan in Auroville is a centre dedicated to fostering a living sense of Human Unity through spiritual education based on the vision .
Sound Garden -- One of the craziest experience, one should definitely visit this place. These guys have turned this place into a garage of Music.
There's nothing that they haven't used to make music. This place is vibrating with the frequencies of sound waves. There's also a 'Sound Therapy' for which you should have appointment a-day-ahead.
On 29th September again with the same Cycles me and wife went to visit Bamboo Centre.
The Bamboo Centre was founded in February 2009 to offer bamboo construction and furniture training workshops for all, to promote the green credentials, cultivation, and usage of bamboo. By hosting students as Volunteers, the Auroville Bamboo Research Centre supports students who want to study the many possibilities and applications of bamboo. They offer access to a range of workshops, a wealth of knowledge and an extensive network. It is a must visit place.
On 30th September 2022 at 11 AM we checked out Athithi Gruh guest house for Vellore.
