Auroville

Two years back in 2014 my company had a massive recruitment drive for hiring almost 200 Management Graduates. So in the process have visited quite a few places in the country for the Campus Recruitment.

One of the campuses we visited was Pondicherry University. We drove down from Chennai and reached the campus by 10.00 am. The Students were waiting for us. Wasting no time we started with the Interviewing process. It took us some time to interview 35-40 students. Once the process was finished we plan to leave the campus immediately. The placement co-ordinator insisted a lot to have lunch with them but we left the Campus as soon as the Interviewing process was completed. We directly headed towards Auroville. 

Auroville means 'the city of the dawn' and was founded in 1968 by a French lady Mirra Alfassa who was called ‘The Mother’ and was the successor to Shri Aurobindo, a well- known spiritual leader. The town was founded by her with the aim of creating a place which was a symbol of human unity.

Auroville is meant to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity.

12 gardens of Auroville

The Visitor Centre in Auroville remains open from 9 am- 5:30 pm and we were lucky enough to attend the detailed video tutorial of what Auroville is all about.

Sample Plan of Matrimandir at the Visitor's Centre

The Matrimandir is not easily accessible and one need to make a booking in advance (around 2 days), in order to visit the Matrimandir. So since we have not made any bookings we thought of having a look from outside. We had to walk from the Visitor Centre to the Matrimandir. It is a pleasant 1km walk from the visitor's centre, along wooded paths and past an astonishing banyan tree.  Once we started walking we found that the place is full of calmness and serenity.

The Banyan Tree on the way to Matrimandir

Once we reached the Matrimandir we were mesmerised by the dome shaped golden structure. The Matrimandir is a giant golden globe at the centre of the town, surrounded by beautifully manicured lawns and trees. Going to Matrimandir would definitely refresh your body and soul.

Matrimandir

Matrimandir

After coming from Matrimandir we explored the area of Auroville. Here you will find things crafted by the inhabitants of the township such as clothing, candles, incense, pottery, home textiles etc.  I picked up some incense and scented candles. We had a quick bite of Mufffins and the Masala Chai in the Café.

Overall had a lovely time at Auroville.