"The City of Dawn"
Located around 15 km from Pondicherry, Auroville was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa, a disciple of Aurobindo and fondly known as the 'Mother' of Sri Aurobindo Society. This place is the epitome of tranquillity and proves as the perfect escape for those in search of peace. The best way to experience Auroville ashram is to sit in one of the cafes, and talk to some of the residents about their experience of living in the city. There are plenty of choice for accomodation, from budget stay to luxury at Auroville, but one must note that Tuesdays are their weekly off.
Conceived as the 'Universal Town', Auroville is an experimental township where people from across the world of all cultures and traditions come and live together in peace. People from 124 countries including Indians from different states came together with soil brought from their homelands and deposited in a marble urn. Currently, over 2,800 people from over 195 different nationalities are the official residents of this township. The Aurovilleans as they call themselves live together on the principles of peace, harmony, sustainable living and 'divine consciousness' which was the philosophy of the Mother.
Matrimandir, is the Sanskrit word for 'Temple of The Mother', and is the most important edifice of the Auroville township. Located just in the middle of Auroville in a large open area known as 'Peace'. Matrimandir is fondly known as the 'soul of the city' and holds crucial spiritual significance for those who practice Integral Yoga.
Popular as the golden globe of Pondicherry, it is a place for individual silent concentration. Matrimandir is no tourist place, and the entry inside the central premises of the building is allowed only to those who have a brief understanding of the idea of Auroville township or through booking.
However, the beautiful gold dome structure of the Matrimandir, which is surrounded by twelve lush green gardens, attracts the tourists visiting Pondicherry.
A viewpoint has been constructed to the south of the Park of Unity. This elevated garden area which offers a panoramic birds eye view of the beautiful Matrimandir and its serene surroundings. The viewpoint is a 10 minutes' walk from the Visitor's Centre.
One can either walk or take a shuttle bus which operates within the campus upto the view point.
The passes to visit the Matrimandir Viewing Point can be obtained free of cost form the Auroville's Visitors' Centre from
Monday - Saturday: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Sunday: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
and it's as per registeration, which maybe 2-3 days for booking a slot.
The timings for bookings are between 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM on all days except Tuesdays.
Auroville Bakery and Boulangerie is the most famous bakery in town and definitely a place to check out. All products served here are made from the local farms. Besides the delicious food, the cafe also has a cozy outdoors seating amidst a gorgeous garden.
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