LITERATURE STUDY - 2

MATRIMANDIR

At the very centre of Auroville one finds the 'soul of the city', the Matrimandir, situated in a large open area called 'Peace', from where the future township will radiate outwards. The atmosphere is quiet and charged, and the area beautiful.

While walking through the lovely green Matrimandir Gardens (divided into 12 individually named parks such as "Harmony", "Bliss", Perfection" each with their variety of flowers, shrubs and trees, one's attention is greatly drawn by this important and powerful feature at the heart of the city which was seen by the Mother as the "symbol of the Divine's answer to man's aspiration for perfection" and as "the central cohesive force" for the growth of Auroville.

Common factor  For CONCEPT-

Mother-his Pavilion “Matrimandir”, which she translated in English as “The Mother’s Shrine”-  which seeks to help humanity move beyond its present limitations into the next step of its evolutionary adventure, the supramental consciousness - SYMBOLISM

As you have the vision of one in India whom you call the Divine Mother, the Catholics say it is the Virgin Mary, and the Japanese call it Kwannon, the Goddess of Mercy, and others would give other names. It is the same Force, the same Power, but the images made of it are different in different faiths.

the Matrimandir emerges as a large golden sphere which seems to be rising out of the earth, symbolizing the birth of a new consciousness seeking to manifest.

COMPLEX CONSISTS OF -

INNER CHAMBER

The spacious Inner Chamber in the upper hemisphere of the Matrimandir is completely white, with white marble walls and deep, white carpeting. In the centre sits a pure crystal-glass globe which suffuses a ray of electronically guided sunlight that falls on it through an opening at the apex of the sphere. This luminescent globe radiates natural lighting in the Inner Chamber.

the Golden Section and the proportions of the Great Pyramid are precisely incorporated in its cross section - making the space suitable by using harmonics.

OUTER CHAMBER

The diffuse sunlight behind the golden disks should shine through the 800 portholes in the ferrocement skin, illuminating 800 translucent orange-pink triangles, which form the Matrimandir's Inner Skin. So that the whole inside of Matrimandir is filled with orange-pink glow, coming from all sides, and no design-element or detail behind the orange screen should disturb the peaceful impression.

The outer skin of Matrimandir is to be totally covered by decorative, golden, concave and convex discs. Mounted onto the structure by a system of metal rods, they will have the practical function of shading the building from the strong sunlight of south-India.

From both the above chambers, emphasis on light and intensity of light is given to create the required feel to the place.

MEDITATION ROOMS/PETALS

This is not only so because they add to the image of the New Consciousness breaking forth from Matter, but also since each of these circular spaces will carry the name and colour of one of the 'petals' of the Mother's symbol, so that users can choose the appropriate egg-shaped meditation spaces according to their need of the moment like Sincerity, Peace, Equality, Gratitude, etc..

These petals are fanning from the promenade around the pond beneath the Matrimandir and extending for over forty meters, gradually descending to ground level and the inner gardens.

GARDENS

the Matrimandir, situated in a large open area called 'Peace'. The atmosphere is quiet and charged, and the area beautiful, even though work continues in the Gardens named - bliss, light, life, power, harmony.

The Matrimandir can be viewed as a large golden sphere which seems to be emerging out of these gardens, symbolising the birth of a new consciousness.

The twelve pathways between the petals lead directly into Matrimandir via staircases between the pillars, and to the pond underneath itself.