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| name = Matrimandir | | name = Matrimandir | ||
| native_name = Auroville Matri Mandir | | native_name = Auroville Matri Mandir | ||
| former_names = | | former_names = | ||
| alternate_names = | | alternate_names = | ||
| image = The Matrimandir in Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India.jpg | | image = The Matrimandir in Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India.jpg | ||
| alt = | | alt = | ||
| caption = Matrimandir | | caption = Matrimandir | ||
| | | pushpin_map = | ||
| | | pushpin_map_alt = | ||
| map_caption = | | map_caption = | ||
| altitude = | | altitude = | ||
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| architectural_style = spherical | | architectural_style = spherical | ||
| structural_system = | | structural_system = | ||
| cost = | | cost = 1250 crores | ||
| client = | | client = | ||
| owner = | | owner = | ||
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| groundbreaking_date = 21 February 1971 | | groundbreaking_date = 21 February 1971 | ||
| completion_date = February 2008 | | completion_date = February 2008 | ||
| inauguration_date = | | inauguration_date = | ||
| renovation_date = | | renovation_date = | ||
| height = 23.5 meters | | height = 23.5 meters | ||
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| floor_area = | | floor_area = | ||
| main_contractor = | | main_contractor = | ||
| architect = [[Mirra Alfassa | | architect = [[Mirra Alfassa]]<br />[[Roger Anger]] | ||
| architecture_firm = | | architecture_firm = | ||
| structural_engineer = | | structural_engineer = | ||
| services_engineer = | | services_engineer = | ||
| civil_engineer = | | civil_engineer = | ||
| awards = | | awards = | ||
| website = | | website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20050617084623/http://www.auroville.org/thecity/matrimandir/mm_main.htm Description of the Matrimandir from Auroville's website] | ||
| references = | | references = | ||
}} | }} | ||
The '''Matrimandir''' | The '''Matrimandir''' is an edifice of spiritual significance for practitioners of [[integral yoga]] in the centre of [[Auroville]], India established by [[Mirra Alfassa]] of the [[Sri Aurobindo Ashram]], Auroville's spiritual co-founder, known to her followers as The Mother or ''La Mère''. It is called ''Soul of the City'' ([[French language|French]]: ''L'âme de la Ville'') and situated in a large open space called "Paix" (French for ''Peace''). The Mandir was conceived of in late 1965 as a gleaming sphere rising amid twelve gardens by, who marked a lone banyan tree as the heart of the city. Its foundation stone was laid at sunrise on her 93rd birthday, 21 February 1971, and the four supporting pillars were concreted on 17 November 1973; she died that evening. After decades of work by Aurovilians and craftsmen, the Inner Chamber opened in 1994 and the gold‑clad sphere was completed in May 2008. | ||
== History == | |||
The Matrimandir, a "Temple of the Mother" was conceived as a shining sphere rising from twelve surrounding gardens by Alfassa in late 1965, when she designated a lone [[Banyan|banyan tree]] as the city's spiritual center.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Matrimandir Gardens|publisher=Auroville |url=https://auroville.org/page/the-matrimandir-gardens |access-date=2025-07-15 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Balakumar .M |date=2020-01-02 |title=Matrimandir, the Temple of the Mother, Auroville, Pondicherry: the Soul of the city |url=https://casualwalker.com/matrimandir-the-temple-of-the-mother-auroville-pondicherry-the-soul-of-the-city-visit-travel-guide/ |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=Casual Walker|language=en-US}}</ref> Its foundation stone was laid on 21 February 1971, and excavation of the 14,000 m³ pit by Aurovilians and hired laborers began three weeks later. Concreting of the four supporting pillars was completed at 7:25 pm on 17 November 1973, coinciding with Alfassa's death, after which construction proceeded steadily.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-29 |title=Matrimandir: The Soul of Auroville by Paulette Hadnagy – Overman Foundation |url=https://overmanfoundation.org/matrimandir-the-soul-of-auroville-by-paulette-hadnagy/ |access-date=2025-07-15 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief History of Matrimandir’s Conception {{!}} Auroville |url=https://auroville.org/page/brief-history-of-matrimandir-s-conception-375 |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=auroville.org}}</ref> The Inner Chamber opened to visitors in 1994, and the main golden sphere was finished in 2008, with the surrounding twelve gardens and peripheral lake completed later.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Matrimandir - Auroville Puducherry (Entry Fee, Timings, History, Images & Location) - Puducherry Tourism |url=https://pondicherrytourism.co.in/matrimandir-auroville-puducherry |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=pondicherrytourism.co.in}}</ref> | |||
==Structure and surroundings== | ==Structure and surroundings== | ||
{{Sri Aurobindo}} | {{Sri Aurobindo}} | ||
The Matrimandir took 37 years to build, from | The Matrimandir took 37 years to build, from laying the foundation stone at sunrise on 21 February 1971 Alfassa's 93rd birthday to its completion in May 2008. It is in the form of a huge sphere surrounded by twelve petals. Golden discs cover the [[geodesic dome]] and reflect sunlight, which gives the structure its characteristic radiance. Inside the central dome is a meditation hall known as the ''inner chamber''. This contains the largest optically perfect glass globe in the world. The Matrimandir and its surrounding gardens in the central "Peace area" are open to the public by appointment.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Visiting the Matrimandir|publisher=Auroville |url=https://auroville.org/page/visiting-the-matrimandir |access-date=2024-04-04}}</ref> | ||
The four main pillars that support the structure of Matrimandir | The four main pillars that support the structure of Matrimandir and carry the inner chamber have been set at the four main directions of the compass. These four pillars are symbolic of and named after the four aspects of Alfassa as described by [[Sri Aurobindo]]. The North pillar, Mahakali, represents strength, swiftness, warrior resolve, and overwhelming will; the South pillar, Maheshwari, symbolizes tranquil compassion, boundless wisdom, and majestic calm; the East pillar, Mahalakshmi, reflects intricate opulence, grace, and compelling attraction; and the West pillar, Mahasaraswati, stands for deep knowledge, flawless creativity, and precise perfection.<ref>{{Cite web |title=In sync, ahead of its times! – You and I |url=https://www.youandi.com/sync-ahead-its-times/ |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=www.youandi.com}}</ref> | ||
{{cquote|''Four great Aspects of the Mother, four of her leading Powers and Personalities have stood in front in her guidance of this Universe and in her dealings with the terrestrial play''<ref name="q1">Aurobindo, Sri. ''The Mother'' p36-37 (Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, 1987, {{ISBN|81-7058-059-5}})</ref>}} | {{cquote|''Four great Aspects of the Mother, four of her leading Powers and Personalities have stood in front in her guidance of this Universe and in her dealings with the terrestrial play''<ref name="q1">Aurobindo, Sri. ''The Mother'' p36-37 (Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, 1987, {{ISBN|81-7058-059-5}})</ref>}} | ||
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<gallery mode=packed heights=" | ==Gallery== | ||
<gallery mode="packed" heights="thumb"> | |||
File:Matrimandir1.JPG|Matrimandir and the banyan tree, the centre of [[Auroville]] | File:Matrimandir1.JPG|Matrimandir and the banyan tree, the centre of [[Auroville]] | ||
File:Matrimandir.JPG|The Matrimandir in Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India | File:Matrimandir.JPG|The Matrimandir in Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India | ||
File:Matrimandir Auroville Dome.jpg|The golden discs that build up the Matrimandir dome | File:Matrimandir Auroville Dome.jpg|The golden discs that build up the Matrimandir dome | ||
File:Human-sized golden disc of Matrimandir.jpg|An Auroville volunteer posing next to one of the golden discs used in Matrimandir's dome. | |||
File:Golden_Mosaic.jpg|Closeup of one of the golden discs. | |||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{Commons category|Matrimandir}} | |||
*[http://www.auroville.org/contents/252 Visiting the Matrimandir] | *[http://www.auroville.org/contents/252 Visiting the Matrimandir] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524154959/https://auroville.org/contents/252 |date=24 May 2022 }} | ||
*[http://matacom.com Chronicles of the Inner Chamber] - by the 'Matrimandir Action Committee' | *[http://matacom.com Chronicles of the Inner Chamber] - by the 'Matrimandir Action Committee' | ||
* | * {{Wikivoyage inline}} | ||
{{Integral Yoga|state=expanded}} | {{Integral Yoga|state=expanded}} | ||
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[[Category:Auroville]] | [[Category:Auroville]] | ||
[[Category:Geodesic domes]] | [[Category:Geodesic domes]] | ||
Latest revision as of 09:24, 21 March 2026
| Matrimandir | |
|---|---|
Auroville Matri Mandir | |
 Matrimandir | |
Matrimandir | |
| General information | |
| Type | stainless steel sphere gold plated |
| Architectural style | spherical |
| Town or city | Auroville, Tamil Nadu |
| Country | India |
| Coordinates | 12°00′26″N 79°48′38″E / 12.007208°N 79.810658°E |
| Groundbreaking | 21 February 1971 |
| Completed | February 2008 |
| Cost | 1250 crores |
| Height | 23.5 meters |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Mirra Alfassa Roger Anger |
| Website | |
| Description of the Matrimandir from Auroville's website | |
The Matrimandir is an edifice of spiritual significance for practitioners of integral yoga in the centre of Auroville, India established by Mirra Alfassa of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Auroville's spiritual co-founder, known to her followers as The Mother or La Mère. It is called Soul of the City (French: L'âme de la Ville) and situated in a large open space called "Paix" (French for Peace). The Mandir was conceived of in late 1965 as a gleaming sphere rising amid twelve gardens by, who marked a lone banyan tree as the heart of the city. Its foundation stone was laid at sunrise on her 93rd birthday, 21 February 1971, and the four supporting pillars were concreted on 17 November 1973; she died that evening. After decades of work by Aurovilians and craftsmen, the Inner Chamber opened in 1994 and the gold‑clad sphere was completed in May 2008.
History[edit | edit source]
The Matrimandir, a "Temple of the Mother" was conceived as a shining sphere rising from twelve surrounding gardens by Alfassa in late 1965, when she designated a lone banyan tree as the city's spiritual center.[1][2] Its foundation stone was laid on 21 February 1971, and excavation of the 14,000 m³ pit by Aurovilians and hired laborers began three weeks later. Concreting of the four supporting pillars was completed at 7:25 pm on 17 November 1973, coinciding with Alfassa's death, after which construction proceeded steadily.[3][4] The Inner Chamber opened to visitors in 1994, and the main golden sphere was finished in 2008, with the surrounding twelve gardens and peripheral lake completed later.[5]
Structure and surroundings[edit | edit source]
| Sri Aurobindo |
|---|
 |
The Matrimandir took 37 years to build, from laying the foundation stone at sunrise on 21 February 1971 Alfassa's 93rd birthday to its completion in May 2008. It is in the form of a huge sphere surrounded by twelve petals. Golden discs cover the geodesic dome and reflect sunlight, which gives the structure its characteristic radiance. Inside the central dome is a meditation hall known as the inner chamber. This contains the largest optically perfect glass globe in the world. The Matrimandir and its surrounding gardens in the central "Peace area" are open to the public by appointment.[6]
The four main pillars that support the structure of Matrimandir and carry the inner chamber have been set at the four main directions of the compass. These four pillars are symbolic of and named after the four aspects of Alfassa as described by Sri Aurobindo. The North pillar, Mahakali, represents strength, swiftness, warrior resolve, and overwhelming will; the South pillar, Maheshwari, symbolizes tranquil compassion, boundless wisdom, and majestic calm; the East pillar, Mahalakshmi, reflects intricate opulence, grace, and compelling attraction; and the West pillar, Mahasaraswati, stands for deep knowledge, flawless creativity, and precise perfection.[7]
Four great Aspects of the Mother, four of her leading Powers and Personalities have stood in front in her guidance of this Universe and in her dealings with the terrestrial play[8]
| Name | Symbolism |
| Maheswari (south pillar) | "...her personality of calm wideness and comprehending wisdom and tranquil benignity and inexhaustible compassion and sovereign and surpassing majesty and all-ruling greatness".[8] |
| Mahakali (north pillar) | "...her power of splendid strength and irresistible passion, her warrior mood, her overwhelming will, her impetuous swiftness and world-shaking force".[8] |
| Mahalakshmi (east pillar) | "...vivid and sweet and wonderful with her deep secret of beauty and harmony and fine rhythm, her intricate and subtle opulence, her compelling attraction and captivating grace".[8] |
| Mahasaraswathi (west pillar) | "...equipped with her close and profound capacity of intimate knowledge and careful flawless work and quiet and exact perfection in all things".[8] |
Gallery[edit | edit source]
-
Matrimandir and the banyan tree, the centre of Auroville
-
The Matrimandir in Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India -
The golden discs that build up the Matrimandir dome -
An Auroville volunteer posing next to one of the golden discs used in Matrimandir's dome. -
Closeup of one of the golden discs.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "The Matrimandir Gardens". Auroville. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ↑ Balakumar .M (2 January 2020). "Matrimandir, the Temple of the Mother, Auroville, Pondicherry: the Soul of the city". Casual Walker. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ↑ "Matrimandir: The Soul of Auroville by Paulette Hadnagy – Overman Foundation". 29 March 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ↑ "Brief History of Matrimandir's Conception | Auroville". auroville.org. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ↑ "Matrimandir - Auroville Puducherry (Entry Fee, Timings, History, Images & Location) - Puducherry Tourism". pondicherrytourism.co.in. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ↑ "Visiting the Matrimandir". Auroville. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ↑ "In sync, ahead of its times! – You and I". www.youandi.com. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Aurobindo, Sri. The Mother p36-37 (Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, 1987, ISBN 81-7058-059-5)
External links[edit | edit source]
- Visiting the Matrimandir Archived 24 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine
- Chronicles of the Inner Chamber - by the 'Matrimandir Action Committee'
- Template:Wikivoyage inline
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