AUROVILLE

Lush green trees, cool breeze and deserted roads. Sounds like any other village in the country, but this one is different. It was designed by a French architect, Roger Arger and it houses 1,500 residents from 30 countries. This is Auroville, a concept town on the outskirts of Pondicherry. It was founded in 1969 by Mirra Alfassa (also known as The Mother) who was a close associate of spiritual thinker Shri Aurobindo.

The town is an experiment on the further evolution of the human race, as initiated by Shri Aurobindo. All the inhabitants live and work harmoniously despite their varied nationality and religion, as citizens of the world, obeying one single authority, that of the Supreme Truth. The inhabitants are involved in building a self-sustaining environment, where people work, not for their livelihood but as a form of self-expression and to make a contribution towards the community as a whole.

The main attraction of the town is Matrimandir. It is a sphere-shaped shrine built in the centre of the town, with gold-discs covering it. It has twelve meditation chambers. Matrimandir symbolises, 'the new consciousness breaking out of the earth'. It is a pleasing sight to see the gold plated sphere rising into the horizon during sunset.

Auroville, with its ideological planning and designing, is an interesting village with an equally interesting sub-culture of people. It is a worthwhile experience to explore and know this international village.

160 kms from Chennai
Route - East Coast Road
Nearest airport - Chennai
Nearest rail hub - Pondicherry
Accommodation - Several Hotels and Lodges are available in Pondicherry town and Cottages are available around Auroville.

Easily accessible by road.
Can take local buses and autorickshaws from anywhere in Pondicherry. Bikes on hire, are also available near Auroville.

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