Interesting Facts on Auroville

Auroville, the spiritual city, was the Mother’s greatest vision. This article takes a tour on the interesting facts on the spiritual city. It gives a bird’s eye view on the various stages that the city underwent during its culmination and construction.

The chief architect, Mr. Roger Anger (one of the foremost modern architects of France) put it, “we are building man, not just a city. Auroville wants to be new creation, expressing new consciousness in a new way and by new methods”. He said further, “we are already amid interesting experiments at the socio-economic level. Auroville is not to introduce the worn out labor-employer system. All are collaborators and all will be provided with facilities according to the peculiarity of needs. The residential houses are being financed by individuals, but they have agreed that the houses will belong to the community”.

The UNESCO has passed three resolutions supporting Auroville, unanimously, in 1966, 1968 and the latest being at it’s Paris session held during October-November 1970, wherein it requested the director general to take such steps as may be feasible within the budgetary provisions, to promote the development of Auroville as an important international cultural program.

Then by July 1974, there were about 300 voluntary workers on the Auroville site, representing India, France, USA, UK, Germany, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Belgium, Africa, Mexico, Tunisia, New Zealand and Malaysia.

The Aurovillians live in communities in temporary houses according to their work and inclinations. One of the communities name “aspiration” is about to enlarge in to an advanced colony accommodating 200 inmates. Research is underway to improve the quality of the soil by using organic fertilizer and organic pesticides.

The school in the Auroville is a bold experiment of adventure of ideas. East and west meet here spontaneously; the local children read and play with those of the westerners, in complete ignorance of the so called racial differences. When the Auroville was started, there was no guarantee of the financial support. But the organizers had an undaunted faith in the goodwill of humanity and they knew that help would be forth coming sooner or later. Thus the Spiritual city was infrastructured to make the Mother’s dream true.

The Mother's Dream

Our city is well known for its spiritualism. The Auroville in our city is the epitome of Spiritualism and it’s beyond religion, caste and creed. This article throws light upon the Mother’s dream that marked the culmination of this splendid place.

“There should be some where upon the earth a place that no nation could claim as its sole property, a place where all human beings of goodwill, sincere in their aspiration, could live feely as citizens of the world, obeying one single authority, that of the supreme truth, a place of peace, concord, harmony, where all the fighting instinct of man would be used exclusively to conquer the causes of his sufferings and miseries, to surmount weakness and ignorance, to triumph over his limitations and incapacities, a place where the needs of the spirit and the care for progress would get precedence over the satisfaction of desires and the passions, the seeking for material pleasures and enjoyment”.

The above words were the reflection of the Mother’s dream many years ago. It was when her experiment in developing a harmonious community in the Ashram was a success and when she felt that the world, deplorably imbalanced by a tremendous material achievement on the one hand and an utter lack of conscious ness on the other hand, badly needed a daring example of a sensible alternative, she gave the idea of finding a new city to the Aurobindo Society. In the world conference of the society, in 1964, the idea of Auroville crystallized. Preparations began almost immediately, on 28th February 1968 when a boy and a girl representing each country of the world put handfuls of earth of the country into a concrete urn, shaped like a lotus-bud, and that marked the foundation of Auroville. This solemn function was witnessed by an international gathering made up of consular representatives, world press and the youth who had come to participate in it, apart from several thousand people of the locality.

The Mother and Her Spiritual Guide Sri Aurobindo

Our union territory has got deep roots of spiritualism in its soil. The Aurobindo ashram marks the peak of the spiritualism in the city. The ashram was established by Sri Aurobindo and his most nearest spiritual disciple Mother. This article throws light upon the spiritual relationship between Mother and Sri Aurobindo along with few facts of Mother’s early life.

Mother’s name is Mira Alfassa and she was born in Paris on 21st February 1878. She was a child with a difference. She used to spontaneously meditate while she was very young and was conscious that she had a special mission on the earth. In her vision she used to see a spiritual guide. Herself being a profound genius, she had made a sketch of her spiritual guide. In 1914 when she saw Sri Aurobindo, she at once realized that it is whom she used to see in her vision. Mother spent few years in Algeria, exploring occult truths under the guidance of a couple: Theon, a polish adept and his French wife.

M. Paul Richard, Mother’s husband had visited Pondicherry soon after Sri Aurobindo’s arrival here and had been so deeply moved by him that he spoke to the audience in Japan soon thereafter. In 1914, the Mother, accompanied by her husband, came to Pondicherry and met Sri Aurobindo on 29th march. She at once realized that Sri Aurobindo was her spiritual collaborator. The Mother had to return to France due to exigencies of the First World War, in 1915, on 22 February. For the first time her birthday was celebrated in Pondicherry on the day before her departure i.e on 21 February.

Before she left her body, she launched Arya, a philosophical review. The first issue appeared on Sri Aurobindo’s birthday on 15th August 1914. It had French edition too, which was named as, Revue de la Grande Synthe’se. The French edition could not continue for long due to the First World War. The Arya serialized the major works of Sri Aurobindo and it continued till 1920. Thus, these are the most important facts that mark the start of the spiritual relationship between the Mother and the Aurobindo.

Know The Significant Days Of Aurobindo Ashram

The Aurobindo Ashram is an important milestone in the history of Pondicherry. Do you want to know the important days that are observed in the ashram? In today’s blog post, i would like to share the important dates along with its interesting significance.

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, after 1950, the Mother alone gave Darshan to the inmates of the Ashram as well as to the numerous visitors who came to Pondicherry from all over India and also from the other parts of the world. The following days are known as the Dashan days.
The Mothers birthday falls on 21 February. On this day, collective meditation is held in the morning around the Samadhi. The Ashramites and visitors can pass through the Aurobindo’s room. In the evening, members of the Department of Physical education have march past in the play ground, giving salute to the Mother.

Image Credit: Auroville.org

On 24th April 1920, the Mother came to Pondicherry to stay permanently. Sri Aurobindo’s birthday falls on the 15th August. The meditation and the march past are held on these days also.

The 24th November marks a milestone in Sri Aurobindo’s Yoga, for on this day, in 1926, he achieved victory over what is known his yogic vocabulary as the over mind. The victory prepares the advent of the super mind and this is the goal of his yoga.
The 29th February is marked as the Golden day in the ashram’s history. Because on this day a decent took place in the earth consciousness, as a result of which the Mother said on April 24th of the same year, “The Manifestation of the Supramental upon the Earth is no more a promise but a living fact, a reality”. The Mother further said, “It is at work here, and a day will come when the most blind, the most unconscious, even the most unwilling shall be obliged to recognize it.”

On every New Year’s Day the Mother used to give the message. Some of the other important dates are 4th April 1910 on which Aurobindo came to Pondicherry. On 5th December 1950 Aurobindo left his body and on 17th November 1973 the Mother left her body. Other days observed in the Ashram are Christmas, Saraswathi Puja, Vijayadasami and Deepavalli.

Feast with Us in Sacred Heart of Jesus Church Puducherry

Where shall we gang and dine this summer month? Here comes another rejoicement to the souls who hang in and around the streets of Puducherry. Puducherrians and the tourists are brimming with joy and wonder. I know you people are a bit confused and also expecting with much eagerness, what's new or special in Pondicherry. Ok now let me break the ice.

The inaugural function of centenary celebrations of the “Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” in Puducherry opens on May 23rd with the hoisting of a flag. This celebration extends and ends by June 21, 2008. The significant feature of the occasion is the releasing of a special Cover.


The parish priest Rev. Fr. A. Thomas is overwhelmed with joy and shared the growth and history of the age-old church. He said that the church was started in 1908 and the Gothic style of the church was constructed and completed by 1909. This is a very long process as the foundation was said in 1902 and was finished by the year 1909. He also added that flag will be unfurled, when the Holy communion on May 23. Holy Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, evening prayer, benediction and car procession are the various occasion in the Novena.


The Scared Heart Feast is expected to be celebrated on May 30. After the releasing of special cover, the Eucharistic procession would start and a chain of celebrations would continue. Following the Mother Mary’s Feast on May 3, a Parochial Feast will be conducted on June 1st.

There is no such celebrations in Puducherry will end with enjoyment, it extends its warm hands to help others. So, a joint effort of the Parish authorities and the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Science and Research (JIPMER) will conduct of the feast.

The feast is open for all, so come let’s join them and blast out with fun!!!

‘Prayer for Peace’ held in Puducherry by Tibetan Monks:

On Thursday 24th April, The Tibetan Solidarity Committee(TSC) from Karnataka held a prayer meeting in Puducherry, nearby Mahatma Gandhi statue on the beach road. A group of 50 monks associated with the Committee chanted prayers, by holding candles in hands for more than a couple of hours from 5 pm. This prayer was held as an appeal to the United Nations and the International Community to inquire the ongoing restless civil condition in Tibet.


The group also raised slogans and banners carrying the quote “persecution of Innocent”( Tibetans should be stopped immediately). The Committee urged for the release of all those imprisoned in Tibet and must be given medical assistance to the injured, after the restless condition.

I guess the Tibetan monks would have thought the spiritual gravity of Puducherry would help their cause of peaceful Tibet to organize their prayer meeting in Puducherry. I strongly believe none of the selfless prayers are unheared by GOD.