MATRI MANDIR,

AUROVILLE
 At the center of Auroville in
Pondicherry, Tamilnadu.
Location Coordinates:
12.0071° N, 79.8106° E
LOCATION
 The name ‘Matrimandir’ means literally ‘Temple of the Mother’.

At the very center of Auroville one finds the ‘soul of the city’, the Matrimandir,
INTRODUCTION
situated in a large open area called ‘Peace’, from where the future township will
radiate outwards.

The spacious inner chamber is the upper hemisphere of the structure is completely
white, with white marble walls and white carpeting.

In the center, a pure crystal glass globe suffuses a ray of electronically guided
sunlight which falls on it through an opening at the apex of the sphere.

The most important thing is this: “the play of the sun in the center” because that
becomes the symbol of future realizations.
 There are no images, no organized meditations, no incense, no religions and no
INTRODUCTION religious forms.

The Matrimandir is situated at the center of the Auroville next to the Banyan Tree.

The Matrimandir took 37 years to

build from 1971 to 2008.

It is in the form of a huge sphere,

surrounded by twelve pedestals.

The geodesic dome is covered by

golden discs and reflects sunlight
which gives the structure its
characteristics radiance.

There are no images, no organized meditations, no incense, no religions and no

religious forms.

The Matrimandir is situated at the center of the Auroville next to the Banyan Tree.

The Matrimandir wants to be the symbol of the Universal Mother according to Sri
Aurobindo’s teaching.
SITE PLAN
 The meditation rooms inside the twelve stone-clad ‘petals’ surrounding the
Matrimandir carry the names and colors of the ‘petals’ in the Mother’s symbol:

Sincerity – light blue

Peace – deep blue
Equality – blue violet
SITE PLAN
Generosity – pure violet
Goodness – reddish violet
Courage – red
Progress – orange red
Receptivity – orange
Aspiration – orange-yellow
Perseverance – pale yellow
Gratitude – pale green
Humility – deep green

The Gardens

There are twelve gardens surrounding the structure, converging around it in the
huge petal crown from which the Matrimandir arises.
 Garden Names
Light
Life
1. Existence Bliss
Power
2. Consciousness
3. Bliss Consciousness
4. Light
5. Life
6. Power Existence
7. Wealth
8. Utility
9. Progress Wealth Perfection
10. Youth
11. Harmony
12. Perfection Harmony

Utility Youth
Program

Contextual Site
Model
 Garden Names

1. Existence
2. Consciousness
3. Bliss
4. Light
5. Life
6. Power
7. Wealth
8. Utility
9. Progress
10. Youth
11. Harmony
12. Perfection

Contextual Site
Model
PLAN & SECTION

Plan

Model
Section
 The exterior is completely covered with a thin sheet of gold. It is placed as small
PLAN & SECTION square tiles on the discs.

The architect Roger Anger found there a solitary banyan tree on a totally barren
plateau overlooking the Bay of Bengal. The mother decided to make this the
center of Auroville.

The architect gave the shape of a lotus in full bloom to Matrimandir with its
twelve large petals, symbolizing the divine consciousness.

The flattened discs is covered with 1400 golden discs to symbolize a radiating
golden sun.

The entire structure is made of concrete.

The golden disc which is covered with small tiles of gold leaf covered with glass tiles
The skeleton of the structure with the Attaching the golden discs on the outer
four pillars surface

Construction of the outer triangles Inner Skin