About The Matrimandir and I – Web series
In this series we interview Aurovilians about their personal experiences with the Matrimandir in Auroville.
This web-series is a human experiment, looking into how aurovilians relate to the “Soul of Auroville” – The Matrimandir. Striving towards this as the common ground for human unity. The dream would be to interview all citizens of Auroville.
At the very centre of Auroville one finds the “Soul of the City”, The Matrimandir.
The name “Matrimandir” literally means “Temple of the Mother”. According to Sri Aurobindo, the “Mother” concept stands for the great evolutionary, conscious and intelligent principle of Life, the Universal Mother – which seeks to help humanity move beyond its present limitations into the next stage of its evolutionary adventure, the supramental consciousness.
The Matrimandir can be viewed as a large golden sphere which seems to be emerging out of the earth, symbolising the birth of a new consciousness. Situated in a large open area called “Peace”, from where the future township will radiate outwards. Since the past 50 years, Matrimandir’s careful and steady progress towards completion has been followed by many. The atmosphere is quiet and charged, and the area beautiful.
The Matrimandir is in the midst of a garden divided into 12 individually named parks such as Existence, Consciousness, Bliss, Light, Life, Power, Wealth, Utility, Progress, Youth, Harmony and Perfection each with their respective and unique variety of flowers, shrubs and trees. The Mother envisaged the Matrimandir 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.
Auroville is a universal town where men and women of all countries live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities.
The purpose of Auroville is to realise universal human unity.
What is Auroville?
Auroville is a universal township in the making for a population of up to 50,000 people from around the world. Aspects of Auroville can be found in other projects and communities around the world, but Auroville is –
The world’s first and only internationally recognised experiment in human unity.
How did Auroville begin?
The concept of Auroville came to the Mother as early as the 1930s. In the mid 1960s it was put before the Government of India, which supported it and took it to the General Assembly of UNESCO – And soon, in 1966 UNESCO passed a unanimous resolution commending it as a project of importance to the future of humanity.
Why Auroville?
The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity – in diversity. Today Auroville is recognised as a rare frontier and a united effort dedicated to the transformation of human consciousness, also deeply invested in and practically researching into sustainable living and the future cultural, environmental, social and spiritual needs of humanity.
How it’s made – all the questions we ask are…
How and when did you first hear about the Matrimandir? What has been your involvement?
What does the Matrimandir mean to you?
How Important is the Matrimandir to Auroville?
What do you feel when you visit the Matrimandir?
What do you do when you go there?
What memories/stories do you hold dear about the Matrimandir?
What have you learned from the Matrimandir?
Where is your favorite place at the Matrimandir?
What is your dream for the Matrimandir?
Matrimandir and I – web series
Matrimandir and I
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