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Auroville,
14km from Pondicherry, just over the border in Tamil Nadu, was opened
as an experimental international community, coming from the vision of
Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Auroville is around 50 square km. It was
founded in 1968 as a place where all people could live together in peace,
regardless of caste, creed or country. It was hoped that it would reach
a population of 50,000.
Soil
from 126 countries was placed in a container when the community opened
in 1968. The opening ceremony was attended by the President of India
and people from 121 countries.
It
is made up of over 50 communities with about 1100 people from around
the world, a majority of which are foreigners. Many of the houses have
unique designs. Auroville’s motto is “Auroville belongs
to nobody in particular but to humanity as a whole.” Since The
Mother’s death in 1973, there has been disagreements over control
of the community.
Information
There is a Visitor’s Information Centre (62239; fax 62274), near
Bharat Nivas, open daily 9.30 am to 5.30 pm. Next door is a good vegetarian
restaurant and the Boutique d’Auroville (9 am to 5.30 pm), which
has books, gems, postcards and incenses.
If
you would like to stay in Auroville contact Auroville Guest Progamme,
Visitors Centre, Auroville 605101, e-mail guest@auroville.org.in. In
Pondicherry you can get information about this place at La Boutique
d’Auroville (27264 maybe 25128??), 12 Nehru St, west of the Canal.
The tourist office in Pondicherry conducts a tour that goes here (Rs
25). Auroville is spread out, so if you plan to stay for a while it
is best to rent a bike to get around.
To
get around you need either a bicycle or motorcycle. Some of the communities
rent them or you can rent one in Pondicherry.
A
10-minute video about Auroville is shown daily except Sun at 10.30 am
and 3.30 pm at the Visitor’s Centre.
Matri Mandir
The Matri Mandir is the spiritual center of Auroville. It is a domed
structure, which has a crystal sphere in the meditation room. You must
be completely silent inside. The Banyan tree to the
side of the Matri Mandir was to be cut down during its construction.
It is said that the soul of the tree protested to The Mother in a dream
and the location of the temple was shifted.
The
gardens are open between 9 am and 5 pm. Visitors can only enter the
Matri Mandir between 4 to 5 pm. You have to get a pass (free) at the
Visitor Center before 3.30 pm to enter. To go to the meditation period
between 5 and 6 pm, you have to get your pass stamped and then come
back the next day.
Where to Stay and Eat
You can stay with one of the many community groups here. They prefer
serious people interested in the project who want to stay a week or
more. Rooms range from Rs 100 to Rs 500, depending on the facilities
offered. Sharnga, Samasti and Centre all have places to stay. You can
contact the Boutique d’Auroville in Pondicherry or the Visitor
Centre in Auroville about arranging a room .Centre Guest House (62155),
near the Matri Mandir, has rooms to stay at.
Palms Beach Cottage Centre, in Chinna Mudaliarchavadi village, which
is on the way to Auroville from Pondicherry (9km away), has rooms with
common bath for Rs 100/175. It has a good garden. You can get meals
here.
Cottage Guest House is just off the main road coming from Pondicherry,
near the road that turns off to Auroville in the village of Chinna Mudaliarchavadi.
Basic rooms with common bath are Rs 90/150 and rooms with bath in the
new building are Rs 225. They have a meal restaurant.
There is a good restaurant next to the Visitor’s Center where
you can get a good meal for Rs 35. They also have snacks and baked goods.
The Upahar Restaurant is a good place
Travel
Most people come here on the coastal road from Pondicherry and turn
off at the village of Chinna Mudaliarchavadi. You may have to ask where
the turn-off is located, as it is poorly marked. You can also get here
by going on the Pondicherrxe "Tirunallar" y to Chennai road,
turning off at Promesse, about 1km after the police station.
To get around Auroville you will need your own transportation, as everything
is spread out. If you come by bike from Pondicherry you can expect to
ride about 30km, there and back. The road can be rough at places.
Buses
only go to the villages of Chinna Mudaliarchavadi and Periya Mudaliarcha-vadi,
from where you have to get an auto-rickshaw to the Matri Mandir. An
auto rickshaw roundtrip from Pondicherry should be around Rs 200 and
a taxi Rs 500.
The
daily PTDC city tour of Pondicherry goes to the Matri Mandir.
If you know of
a informationthat is not correct or if you would like to help update
our listings, please e-mail us at:
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