The Mantrimandir

So far, our stay in Auroville has been amazing. There are many highlights, but perhaps the most important one is entering the inner chamber of the Mantrimandir for the first time. The Mantrimandir (literally “mother’s house”) is a giant 118-foot-wide glistening golden sphere-like object that’s also the soul of Auroville. Conceived in 1971 and designed by architect Roger Anger, the Mantrimandir was not finished until 2008. Today, it is a huge tourist attraction that almost belies its true purpose – to serve as a point of concentration to help people focus inwards. Getting to the inside the Mantrimandir is a 3-day process, but once you’ve made it inside, you’re welcome to come back for repeat visits as often as you like (by reservation, of course).

Architecturally, the Mantrimandir is an awe-inspiring object. The golden discs are made up of over 2 million gold-plated mosaic leaves that were positioned by hand (that’s real gold, mind you). As one walks up to the structure, one can’t help but feel its immense power. You enter the Mantrimandir by walking up one of the four staircases. As I entered the Mantrimandir, I couldn’t help fantasizing that I was entering a spaceship ready for take-off. Once inside, the architect’s vision takes over and you are compressed into a small space before walking up spiral staircases that suddenly opens up to an enormous spacious chamber. A much longer spiral walkway takes you up to the entrance of the inner meditation chamber (Aurovilians prefer to say "concentration" instead of "meditation"). The walk up the ramp was surreal and extremely emotional for me as the simple beauty of the design – the perfect arcs and spirals, the mathematical proportions, the purity of the geometry, all worked together to enhance an already intense experience. Once again, images from science fiction films like Metropolis and 2001 were evoked.

Once you enter the inner chamber, visitors are invited to sit around a circle facing a giant crystal ball lit by a single beam of sunlight coming from the top of the sphere. There are 12 columns surround the crystal, almost cradling it. This is the purest sacred space I’ve ever seen. No church, ashram, temple or mosque has ever evoked such strong feelings in me. So either there’s something profound going on here or this is the finest testament to the power of architectural design.

At first I was peeved that there was no photography allowed inside the Mantrimandir. In hindsight, it makes perfect sense. No photograph can do justice to the intense feeling of walking through that sacred space. Besides, the act of taking photographs will undoubtedly take you out of being in the moment which defeats the purpose of entering the Montrimandir in the first place.

The design of the Mantrimandir and the concept of Auroville will undoubtedly evoke comparisons to Disney’s original vision for Epcot Center. The comparisons are fair as both were conceived in the idealistic 1960s although the Aurovilians claim that their Mantrimandir design was first. If critics want to call Auroville a theme park for new age spiritualism, then it’s only fair to label Epcot Center as an ashram for American capitalism and global corporate branding.

Another interesting association for me is the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. When I first saw the film as a teenager, I did not understand it at all. It was only upon repeat viewings that Stanley Kubrick’s message became clear. In my opinion, the next step in human evolution as depicted in 2001 is not that far off from The Mother’s vision of awakening human consciousness and transformation. Not surprisingly, 2001 was released in 1968, the same year Auroville was inaugurated. Coincidence or serendipity?

(See more pictures of Auroville)