Matrimandir

The Matrimandir (Sanskrit, n, मातृमन्दिर, mātṛmandira, Hindi, m., मातृमंदिर, mātṛmandir, for the temple of the mother) is the sacred central building in the heartland of the internationally oriented, founded in 1968, the southern Indian city of Auroville. The basic idea comes from Mira Alfassa, spiritual collaborator Aurobindo (also called the mother). The building serves residents and visitors to Auroville for longer stays as a place of quiet meditation and contemplation, is called the soul of Auroville and is no religion or sect assigned.

Construction

Built in the form of a powerful, spherically truncated sphere structure is supported by four wall -like twin pillars of reinforced concrete, which in turn serve the vertical access. The building has several layers whose bottom is not generally available. The visitor access is slightly below the ambient levels within one of the double piers from where the visitor is led through a staircase to a lower level.

From the lower level lead on the inside of the building envelope and two opposite semi-circular curved ramps on the main level at which the so-called interior chamber is a room within a room, the central meditation and Kontemplationshalle with about 24 meters in diameter.

It rests in a central location near the ground, crystal ball, manufactured by Schott in cooperation with Zeiss Jena, which has a diameter of about 70 cm. The Kontemplationsraum itself has no windows, but the sunlight is concentrated on a roof light located on the inlet by means of a heliostat and projected perpendicularly down on the ball, it in turn damped distributed over the entire inner space.

The space between the inner chamber and the outer building envelope in turn will also receive soft lighting over a variety of light reducing openings in the outer skin of the building. About its outer surface curved, circular bowls are on a supporting structure at a short distance weak parabolic mounted that both reflect sunlight as can further penetrate indirect light on the plate interspaces inside. Each of the Parabolplatten is covered without gaps and weatherproof according to the same pattern with gold-colored mosaic tiles. The structural work has been completed; The expansion work is located more than 40 years after the start of construction now in the final stage.