I had an early start to see inside the Matrimandir. I turned up at the Visitor Centre. There were about forty people. We saw a film about the building of the structure. Its purpose was to provide a place for concentration.
It took about 90 minutes to get transport and hand over bags, cameras, and mobile phones.
We finally entered the Matrimandir. I’d seen the building from the viewpoint. Now I was next to it. It’s a beautiful building. It looks like something emerging from the ground, an awakening.
First we went to the lotus pond. Then we took off our shoes and entered the Matrimandir. Inside we were given clean socks. Slowly, we walked up a circular ramp to the inner chamber itself. The spiral like ascending ramp is a bit like the one in the New York Guggenheim gallery.
The inner chamber was completely white. It was about 20m tall. A shaft of natural light came down from the ceiling. A large crystal ball reflected the descending light around the room.
We were allowed to sit quietly for 15 minutes. For me, it was a calming experience.
Visitors weren’t allowed to take photos of the Matrimandir and surrounding area. Here are some photos my Belgian friend, Christiane, sent me of the inside and outside of the Matrimandir. You can see the giant Banyan tree, the lotus pond beneath the dome, the inner chamber and the ramp. There are also photos of the derelict land before the Matrimandir was built and the construction work.
After we left the inner chamber, I went to one of the twelve petal rooms. Yesterday, Christiane told me about it. Each room represented a virtue or quality, such as peace, sincerity, courage, and so on. I found this a much better experience because I was alone in the room. Eventually someone else joined me and this jolted me out of my meditative state. So I left.
I walked around the site. The gardens were almost finished. The centrepiece, and the actual centre of Auroville, is a stunning large Banyan tree. Its spreading branches embrace everything underneath it. Several people were hugging the tree. I hugged one of its trunks too.
The visit was quite brief. We spent more time with all the rigmarole getting to the Matrimandir than on the site itself. It was still good to see it.