meditation centre, sitamarhi

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Location

1.3 Approach

1.4 Land use

1.5 Sections

1.6 Climate

MEDITATION CENTRE, SITAMARHI

SITE ANALYSIS

1

MEDITATION CENTRE , SITAMARHI

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Sitamarhi, a word manipulated from ―Sitamahi‖,

Mahi means a hermitage, Sitamarhi means a

hermitage of Sita, and Sita word is derived from

―sit‖, the lowest part of a plough made up of

iron, which stroke the earthen pot and Sita

came out of it. The mythology of this place

dates back to

FIGURE 1. "BIRTH OF MAA SITA" -AN ARTIST'S

IMPRESSION [source: - www.hjs.org]

treta yug, 7,00,000 years back. This place is

not only the birth place of Maa Sita, but it is also

the spiritual centre for many sages and saints.

Pundrik rishi had his hermit in Pundrik Aranya,

Punaura of nowadays. Maharshi Bodhayan,

Bhringi rishi and many other names are

associated to the district.

This is the birth place of Maa Sita, but it was

famous for its annual flood situation. It was

declared as most undeveloped district in

country by the India Today in the year 2003.

Earlier during floods, this district had made its

identity as an island of north Bihar, completely

drowned in water and disconnected from all

sides. The situation is now under control by the

present government of Bihar, by the

construction of various roads, bridges and

embankments. Now, this district is easily

accessible by rail and road, without any

obstruction.

FIGURE 2. FLOODED SITAMARHI [source- www.madhav.tk]

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1.2 LOCATION

Sitamarhi district, a part of north Bihar, is

situated on the Indo-Nepal Border at

85.500latitude and 26.330 longitudes. It is

surrounded by Madhubani and Darbhanga

districts of Bihar and part of Nepal in the east,

Muzaffarpur in the south, East Champaran in

the west and Nepal in the north. Earlier it was a

sub-division of Muzaffarpur district and got the

status of a separate district on 11th December,

1972 with 3 sub-divisions, viz., Sitamarhi Sadar,

Pupri and Sheohar.

FIGURE 3. INDIA, [source – wikimedia]

FIGURE 4. BIHAR [source- wikimedia] FIGURE 5 SITAMARHI [source- wikimedia]

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1.3 APPROACH

The site is located in Runni Saidpur, Sitamarhi,

at a distance of 16 km from the district head-

quarters and 30 km from Muzaffarpur.

Runni Saidpur railway station is 3 km away

from the site and the National Highway is 100m

away from the proposed site.

Tribhuvan Airport, Janakpur, Nepal is the

nearest airport, 54 km away from Sitamarhi.

FIGURE 7 BRIDGE CONNECTING THE SITE TO NH.[source-madhav bhardwaj]

1.

4

L

FIGURE 6 RUNNI SAIDPUR MAP [source- Sitamarhi.bih.nic.in]

FIGURE 8 SATELLITE IMAGE OF SITE [source- wikimapia, google]

FIGURE 9 OFFERING TO THE SUN GOD IN CHHATH. [source - madhav bhardwaj]

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AND USE

The site is located on the bank of river

Baghmati. It is surrounded by a green belt on

the west and agricultural land on the east. The

breeze on the site is worth enjoying and gives

an eternal pleasure to instigate meditation.

Total area of site is 5.7 hectares

Permissible ground coverage =33% of total

area

Permissible height = 10 meters

Setback – 3 m from all sides

FIGURE 10 LAND USE MAP

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1.5 SECTIONS

FIGURE 13 SECTION "AA"

FIGURE 14 SECTION "BB "

FIGURE 11 SECTION "AA"

FIGURE 12 SECTION "BB "

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1.6 CLIMATE

Sitamarhi has a monsoon type of climate.

TEMPERATURE Throughout the month of February daytime

temperatures will generally reach highs of around

26°C that's about 79°F. At night the average

minimum temperature drops down to around 12°C,

that's 54°F.

In recent times the highest recorded temperature in

February has been 39°C that's 102°F, with the

lowest recorded temperature 0°C, about 41°F.

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

The average daily relative humidity for February is

around 65%.

PRECIPITATION

The average monthly amount of precipitation has

been recorded at around 16 mm, that's 1 inches.

Throughout the month you can expect to see rain or

drizzle falling on 3 days of the month.

WIND

The average daily wind speed in February has been

around 4 kph, that‘s the equivalent to about 2 mph,

or 2 knots. In recent years the maximum sustained

wind speed has reached 78 kph, that‘s the

equivalent of around 48 mph, or 42 knots.

FOG

On average the month of February is affected by

foggy conditions on 5 days.

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CASE STUDIES

1. OSHO COMMUNE PUNE

1.1 About OSHO

1.2 Site location

1.3 Zonal plan

1.4 Osho commune information

1.5 Surroundings

1.6 Design context

1.7 Design details

2. AUROBINDO ASHRAM , NEW DELHI

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Location

2.3 Site Plan

2.4 Site context

2.5 Planning

2.6 Materials

2.7 Design context

2.8 Conclusions

3. MATRI MANDIR, AUROVILLE

3.1 introduction

3.2 layout

3.3 circulation and planning

3.4 conclusions

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OSHO PUNE

FIGURE 15ACHARYA RAJNEESH

BHAGWAN SHRI

RAJNEESH(1931-1990) was

born Rajneesh Chandra Mohan in kuchwara

atown in central india. Various sources state

that ―bhagwan ― means either ―the blassed one‖

or ―god‖and that shree means master .at the

end of his life,he changed his name to OSHO.

March 21, 1953: Osho becomes enlightened at

the age 21,while majoring in the philosophy at

D.N. jain college at Jabalpur.

1953-1956: Education

1956: Osho receives his MA from the university

of sagar with first class honors in philosophy.

BELIEFS AND

PRACTICES:

Osho developed new forms of active

meditation. The best known as dynamic

meditation which often starts with strenuous

physical activity followed by silence and

celebration.

FIGURE 16OSHO CENTRE

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These were expected to lead the individual to

overcome repression, lower there personal

inhibitions , develop a state of emptiness and

attain enlightenment .the person would then

have no pa no future no attachment, no mind

,no ego, no self.

Prior to 1985, the disciples wore red robes ,and

a necklace of 108 beads which had an attached

picture of Rajneesh. Osho assigned a new

name to each of the disciples. Men were given

the title swami and women were called Ma.

Most members lived a frugal ,simple lifestyle.

He taught a form of Monism, that god was in

everything and everyone. There is no division

between god and no god. People, even at their

worse, are divine. His contention was that

national ,religious ,gender and racial divisions

are destructive.

FIGURE 17OSHO ASHRAM SITES

ABOUT OSHO ASHRAMS:

in addition to more than 50 centres operating in

india.nepal and Canada four large residential

complexes known as dhams have been

established I india and Nepal, where osho

dhara samadhi groups are regularly been

conducted by osho acharya trivir and acharyas

trained by them.

9


THEIR SITES IN INDIA:

OSHO COMMUNE PUNE: osho commune

international is a 32 acre campus located in the

exclusive and exotically green koregoan park,

Pune. It is the current headquarter of osho

internationally.

OSHODHARA NANAK DHAM, DELHI:

oshodhara nanak dhaam is located at 50th km

stone from delhi on GT road used as the

meditation camp center.

OSHODHARA GANGOTRI DHAM,

SAURAHA: situated at the bank of Rapti, a

tributary of Narayani River, on the outskirts of

Royal National Chitwan Park, an international

tourist center, in the Chitwan distt. Of Nepal,

from Kathmandu it is only 160 km away by

road.

OSHODHARA SIDDHARTHA DHAM,

CHAMPA: Oshodhara Siddhartha dham is

located at champa in bilaspur distt. ,

Chhhatisgarh at the bank of Hansdeo River.

OSHODHARA ANAND DHAM, MADHOPUR:

Oshodhara anand dham, Shah Kandi Road,

Madhopur, distt. Gurudaspur, Punjab. It is

planned to be the extension of osho commune

Pune.

SCOPE:

The scope of the design lies in the site planning

and systematic zonal layout of various activities

dreamt by by Osho which includes meditation

Centre, residential locks, guest rooms, yoga

center, gardens, shopping center dealing with

Osho related projects , restaurants, library

museum and recreational areas

INFORMATION:

Osho Commune International, a 32-acre

campus located in the exclusive and exotically

green Koregaon Park, nestled in the beautiful,

green city of Pune, is the base from whence

Bhagwaan Rajneesh(who in his later years

called himself ‗Osho‘), propagated his

philosophical teachings upon his return to India.

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REASON FOR SELECTION OF

SITE:

The city of Pune was a perfect choice for the

Ashram owing to its perfect climate which lasts

almost throughout the year , its greenery and

the tolerant attitude of its inhabitants added to

which its proximity to Bombay was very

convenient for the large number of foreign

members of the commune.

ORIENTATION:

The osho ashram is oriented on a north south

axis.

Total site area: 32 acre

Area of the site of pyramid complex: 5.5 acre

(excluding Nala Park)

Total built-up area of pyramidal complex: 1.5

acre (6640 sq. m)

An L-shaped building has small rooms where

people can come and stay.

Adjoining the pyramid is a rectangle block with

60 rooms guest house that has been

FIGURE 18 LOCATION , SURROUNDINGS

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constructed.

The wall of the residence is in semi-gloss black

ceramic tiles with borders and corners in black

granite. The windows have black aluminum

framing around blue tinted glass, these

architectural forms stand out against the rough

black cuddupah paving and the greenery

around.

The four-storey high guest house are be simple,

but elegant and with touch of luxury. It has most

facilities of a modern hotel-but without room

service, telephone or television.

FIGURE 19APPROACH

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DESIGN FORM

The design is the cluster of four building. The

large square blocks are the solid pyramids with

provision of large meditation halls and other

FIGURE 20 PLAN , OSHO MEDITATION COMMUNE , PUNE

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smaller halls below them, a L shaped building

has small rooms where people come and stay.

The pyramids are oriented on the east.

The dirty nallah in site has been converted into

a lively water body with landscaping all around,

providing a beautiful setting to the commune,

where people can come and stay.

A large tree near the entrance shades the

central open public space...

CONCEPT OF PYRAMID

In the word pyramid, pyra means fire, the

universal life energy and preserves it in its

bosom. Experiments and testimonial affirm

changes in the mental, physical and emotional

states of individuals after exposure to pyramid

vibrations.

It is now believd that one of the major functions

of pyramids has to harness the cosmic

energies, which kept the pyramid interior fresh

and energized.

In india , the pyramid shapes were combined

with domes in temple architecture. The main

idol was placed under a pyramidal rooftop to

generate energy in the devotees.

CONCEPT OF COLOUR

there are three basic colours used in the

complex :-

-black

-blue

-white

Black contains within it, all colours, harness

cosmic energies and is stable.

Area of usage- facade

Blue signifies the first colour one perceives after

enlightment-the halo of fire

Are of usage – all windows.

White defines piousness and purity of form.

Area of usage – all interiors.

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MEDITATION

HALL(PYRAMID)

Area of the meditation block: 1400 sq. m

Area of central hall: 950 sq. m

The pyramid is nine storeys high from the

outside and six-storeys high from inside and

fully air conditioned

It is supported on just four pillars, and is

floored with dark green Udaipur marble, it

has no carpets or curtains and has indirect

indoor lighting apart from natural light

coming in through the wide windows.

Giving aesthetic touch to the pyramid are

enormous quantities of water .The pyramid,

in fact is surrounded by a water body and

access to it is over a small bridge from

inside one of the commune complex.

The solid pyramids are large meditation

halls with smaller halls below them. The

windows clear glass with blue film, subdue

and enrich the quality of natural light inside

the spacious meditation halls. The spatial

experience created is one of tranquility,

however with a dynamic undertone like a

repetitive surge of charging energy.

FIGURE 21THE PYRAMID.

FIGURE 22THE PYRAMID

COMMUNE ACTIVITIES AND

FUNCTIONALANALYSIS

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"Just discover your hidden splender.

life can be simply a song of joy."-Osho

An atmosphere of encouragement. it offers one a

holiday to break free from external stresses

ofnourish the soul. The lush green spiritual offers a

multitude of possibilities for inner discoveries and

exploration

"There is no greater magicthan meditation to

transfer the Negative into the positive, to transform

darkness into light- This is the miracle of

meditation"- Osho

Alll the work is done on a volunt its activitiesary

basis, as an Integral part of meditation by the

people who come to transform their quality of life.

According to one's own capacity and willingness,

one can render one's service towards the commune

and participate In activities. In Osho's own words,

'Work doesn't have to be a duty but a Joyful

expression of your newly discovered life.'

ACTIVITIES

1.Meditation types(8 types)

Osho Dynamic Meditation

Osho Kundalini Meditation

Osho Natraj Meditation

Osho Nadahrahma Meditation

Osho No-Dimensions

Osho Vipassana Meditation

Osho White Robe Brotherhood

Osho Club Meditation

2.Healing arts of east and west

3.Western therapy approaches

4.Esoteric sciences

5.Lectures discourses

6.Library reading room

7.Vocational activities

Mental arts

Creative arts

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Zen sports

Computers and Multimeda

Gardening of the lawn

SPACES

1. Visitor centre

2. Welcome centre

3. Gautama the Buddha hail

4. Book Shop-publications.CD-ROMs etc.

5. Video room

6. Library/reading room

7. Restraunt

8. Samadhi area

9. Artists Studio-music,painting&sculpture

10. Souvenir shop - sale of creative talents of

Inmates

11. Club - sundry , sports facilities and therapies

12. Centralised kitchen

13. Multiverisity plaza

14. Osho Teeth - Nala Park

15. Administrative block

16. Maintenance

Electrical

Air conditioning

17


SRI AUROBINDO, A

SCHOLAR….

Sri Aurobindo was born in Calcutta on August

15, 1872. At the age of seven he was sent by

his father to England to receive an English

education.

He did intensive inner work, which led to a

number of spiritual experiences.

….And a yogi…. Sri Aurobindo arrived in

Pondicherry on April 4, 1910. After four years of

silent yoga, he started in 1914

----jointly with the mother---- a philosophy

monthly magazine called ―The Arya‖ in which

his work was published.

THE MOTHER –A CONSCIOUS LABORATORY FOR A NEW SPECIES

The Mother was born in Paris on February 21,

1878. While still a child she spontaneously

followed on inner disciple which was

accompanied by numerous psychic and

spiritual experiences.

She first meet Sri Aurobindo in 1914, and at

once recognized in him the figure of the great

guide of whom she had repeated visions.

After a stay in japan she came back to

Pondicherry in 1920, and never left again.

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In 9126, Sri Aurobindo withdrew in his room

and stopped meeting people, then she received

the material and spiritual charge of the

disciples, giving great attention to the physical

and spiritual development of each Ashramite.

From 1965 onwards she often spoke of

Auroville.

On November 17, 1973, she left her body.

A DREAM

In 1954, the mother wrote the foolowing text.

It was originally meant for the ashram, where

she found a practical ground to implement this

vision.

In 1965, The Mother decided to launch the

project of Auroville, which is amazing manifest

this ‖Dream‖.

A dream:‖there should be somewhere upon a

earth a place that no motion could claim as its

sole property ; a place where all humans beings

of good will, sincere in their aspiration, could

live freely as citizens of world , obeying one

single authority, that of supreme truth , a place

of peace, concord, harmony ; where all fighting

instincts of man would be used exclusively to

conquer the causes of his sufferings and

misery; to surmount his 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

procedure over the satisfaction of desires and

passions, the seeking for pleasures and

materials enjoyment.

LAYOUT

There are two main entrances for the Ashram.

Main entrances from the Sri Aurobindo Marg

and the other one is located facing Sarvodaya

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Enclaves, which acts as a safer entrance for the

schools. The vast site of Sri Aurobindo Ashram

is about 29.92 acres in area. It has been

developed slowly and steadily and is still under

construction. There is a vast difference between

the older blocks and new ones, which includes

The Mother International School, Mirambika

and the tapsya block. The newer blocks are

based upon symbolic architecture of the

symbols of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother and

also on the concepts of Energy and other

phisophies.

MIRAMBIKA AND TAPASYA

The Tapasya, which is the ashram residential

block and mirambika, which is a research as

well as a training Centre, have been taken as a

detail intervention area , to be studied from the

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi.

DESIGN

The rooms or enclosures are laid out around

hexagonal courtyards. (fig) The building would

ultimately enclose around one large courtyard

around which there would be twelve such small

duo decagonal blocks.

The planning grid is a space –filling grid

composed of squares and equilateral triangles.

The courtyards are surrounded by overlooking

corridors, around which the square grids are

divided into two rooms and the triangles are

divided into two sets of toilets and dressing

areas. Except on ground floor, each room gets

a balcony on the outer faces.

CONCLUSIONS

None—conventional energy techniques have

been used, for both economical and spiritually

reasons. The new buildings have been

designed, keeping in mind the composite

climate of Delhi.

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DESIGN FEATURES FOR

COMPOSITE CLIMATE:

Rough white slate finish on the exteriors for

high emissivity and poor absoptivity.

Deep recessed windows

Properly designed windows and ventilators and

interconnected courtyards aid in cross

ventilation.

Dense vegetation modifies ambient conditions.

Window designs encourage only use of daylight

in the rooms.

Buildings are integrated with solar water

heating(plate 5.7)

Load baring structure reduces embodied

energy by reduced consumption of concrete

and steel.

The symbols of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo

are the basis for the design and planning of the

building.But this has also esulted into many

negative spaces, because of a triangle and

square grid.

Triangles are mostly used for toilets and for

staircase space.

21


MATRI MANDIR.

LOCATION

The project of Auroville was started in 1964 with

the objective of making a city dedicated to an

implementation of the ideal of human city. It

was formally inaugurated on Feb 28 1968. It is

located in Tami Nadu, 10 kilometers from north

of Pondichery. The 1968 galaxy concept of

town. was visualized by French architect Roger

Anger and his team for population of about

50,000 people in an area approximately 2.5 km

in diameter.

INTRODUCTION

The mother; ―Silence…..Purity….A ray of light

of new hope… no images, no images, no altar,

no organized meditation flowers, no incense,

and ….no religion ….. Matri Mandir to be the

divine‘s answer to man‘s aspiration for human

perfection‖.

22


DESIGN CONCEPTS

AND PHILOSOPHY

The meditation centre is the genesis to a

spiritual journey, a place to develop union with

the divine as envisioned by shri Aurobindo and

the mother. Consequently it forms a vital

component of the design project Matri Mandir.

Auroville is an epitome of Aurobindian

principles and one of the key examples to take

cue form

AUROVILLES CONCEPT

The township of Auroville, 12km from

Pondicherry spirals out from the centre much

like a spiral galaxy with a network of major

roads forming its ‗arms‘ and contained within

these arms are different sectors .The whole

concept is symbolic of dynamism of movement

around a pivot, depicting the natural order. Thw

point controlling the movement of this pivot is

the soul of Auroville .

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

AND MATERIALS

The entire structure uses reinforced cement

concrete. At the same time , the harsh

starkness of concrete is hidden through various

cladding to evoke a certain illusionary ambience

a dream like space. The industrial finish of the

geodesic structure is covered up by parabolic

stainless steel discs, clad with gold foil fussed

between glass plates giving the whole structure

an expression of purity, beauty and grandeur,

The meditation chamber is claded with white

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Italian marble, to mark the tranquility and

serenity of the space. Opening on the geodesic

shell are covered with rose-orange fused glass,

to create an intended ambience in the main

alta. Inside the meditation chamber the space

marking the columns 8.65m. in length are

constructed out of s

ingle joint galvanized steel pipes.

The emphasis is given to the surfaces in terms

of colours and textures, becoming the dominant

architectural features controlling and directing

the light quality and overall ambience inside

and outside the building. The reinforced

concrete framework, infilled with ferrocement

panels, is covered with red sandstone

transported from Agra, to form the petals

around the structure. The sandstone is

intermixed with patches of grass, in an

expression of dissonance; a depiction of the

rising Earth rending open to a craters space for

the supernatural floating appearance of the

structure.

BUILDING MATERIALS

EXTERIORS

The gold discs cladding

Disc frams: stainless steel sheet

Disc material- stainless steel sheet

Gold leafe: 28 gm of gold per 1000

leaves

Leaf size: 85mmm X 85mm

Total number of discs: 1415

Small convex discs: 954

Large concave discs: 461

Av. diameter (large discs)- 2.3 meter

Av. diameter (small discs): 1.5 meter

Interior glass inner skin

Glass cladding has been provided on

the inner line of the sphere of

24


Matrimandir. Big peach coloured panels,

800 in number oare required to cover

the entire inner surface area of about

3,000 sq. Mts.

After fusing colour onto 8m thick float – glas, it is

laminated to a second sheet of clear glass for

safety reasons. Each glass panel triangular in

shape is roughly measuring 3Mts. At the base

and 2.4 Mts. In height.

THE SACRED

GEOMETRY

There are ancient monuments that continue to

fascinate us; and there are buildings in where

one breathes in, what we call, a certain

―spirit‖.Why is this so? Sri Aurobindo mentions

this presence of the invincible in his book ―The

Foundations of Indian Cultre‖.

STRUCTURE SYSTEM

The final built form of the structure can be

described as a flattened sphere consisting of a huge

chamber suspende in a massive concrete mesh

globe mounted on four pairs of concrete pillars. At

the exact centre of the chamber a crystal globe

mounted has been placed as a focal point of

attention.The profile of the structure , though

geometrically controlled, is not mathematically

definable. For the purpose of understanding, the

shape can be approximated as a surface of

revoluton of an ellipse 36m x2m.Four pairs of 38m

high sickle-- shaped piers, which are theucturallyru

principle load-bearing components of the structure

support the space frame.

25


METALS END PILLAR

EXTENSION

The decision regarding the pillar extention is yet to

be finalised. But whatever adaption is made, it is

evident that these extensions would be part of the

overall design since they constitute the natural

continuation of the central structure.The pillars

,although structurally self-sufficient indicate the

start of the final curve defining the rhythm and

movement of the whole.

THE HELIOSTAT

To realize the Mother's concept of a strong half of

light always striking the centre .The engineer

supervising the construction work,deveped a

prototype non-tracking mechanism called a

haliostat which will be used to direct sun's rays on

to a crystal globe.

THE INNER CHAMBER

The spacious inner chamber, located in the upper

hemisphere , is envisioned as being completly

white, with white marble walls and white carpeting

with a pure white crystal globe in the centre ,

suffused by a steady ray of sunlight falling on it

from the apex of the sphere. The chamber is a

dodecagonal in plan. The length of one side is about

6m and vertical height about 8.65m. there are 1

freestanding coumns located mid-way between the

walls and the crystal in the centre.Seemingly

ordinary galvanised steel tubes, these 8.65m x 60cm

columns are seamlessly welded.

The cylinders made of 6mm thick sheets will be

finished with a smooth white surface to merge.

CONCEPT OF MATRI MANDIR

26


Architect's interpretation:

The scheme of Matri Mandir as conceived by

architect. Roger Anger, is symbolic of the 'egg of

Vishnu' (in Sanskrit, the Salagram). The first

proposal put forward was based on the bud

spr

outi

ng

fro

m

the

ear

th.

The

out

sid

e of

the

stru

ctur

e

was

pro

posed to be a shell, half underground and halt'

above, which one entered by first going deep

down underground, and then coming up via a

staircase which branched off into several

27


stairways, all leading up to the meditation

chamber. This chamber was conceived as a

great bare space there was a kind of gallery by

which one came from below.

THE MOTHER'S

INTERPRETATION:

As she drew it, the Mother gave her own

interpretation of the 'egg'."The bottom of an

egg is always narrower than the top, so we can

olace the staircase at the base and the spiral

staircase comes up to the temple with, say,

seven stairway openings....." She positioned the

meditation chamber floor at the widest point of

the shell, and conceived of a passage all around

the chamber much in the same way as a

pradakshina path.

LAYOUT:

Matri Mandir is located near the geographical

center of the city on a sparsely vegetated site

although the surrounding area is well vegetated at a

height of 50m above the sea level. As one

approaches the temple through a circum-

perambulatory path, the sparse foliage offers

glimpses of the superstructure situated over vast

open land like an Acropolis, providing no apparent

idea of scale, adding a variable of mysticism.

CIRCULATION AND

PLANNING:

The intersection points established by the

interlocking of the great pyramid triangles with the

circles defined by the inner chamber and outer shell

28


locate other Le points in the geometry.

The exterior surface of the outer skin.

The location of the spiral ramps'

penetration through the buttresses.

The charkas or energy points within the vertical

form. The staircase between the pillars lead to the

first slab that is annular in plan, following which one

arrives in front of a blind wall. The two doors in it

lead to the double spiral staircase, which winds

from level one to level two. From here, a pair of

spiral ramps begin, one ascending to, and the other

descending from the inner chamber. The two ramps

stand out delicately in the space created below the

chamber and give a strong sense of dynamism.

Which can be attributed to their long. Unsupported

length. Each node and each connection along the

ramp(and there are a hundred of them) has its own

type of stress distribution.

THE GALAXY PLAN

The central theme of living in and

working for an actual human unity is

symbolized by the fact that various

zones of the township radiate outwards

from a central point: The Matri Mandir

in the peace area. In this area there is

also a central Banyan tree and the

Amphitheater with its urn, housing the

soils of nations from all over the world.

The Mother wanted each thing to be in

its place and envisaged four Zones in

her dream. Accomodated in a spiraling

movement are four distinct zones-

The residential zone

Industrial zone

Cultural zone and

International zone

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PASSIVE ARCHITECTURE

Architecturally integrated hot water system. For

thermosiphonicflat-plate solar collector systems for

hot water are provided. There is no electrical

backup. The total capacity is 2400 litres/day (about

30 litres/person-day).

The two systems feeding the north side are

optimally tilted at 45 degrees. The two other

systems, feeding on the south side room, are

vertically mounted on the parapet wall facing

South.

The terrace sections were designed keeping in mind

the solar hot water constraints. All systems are

masonary integrated and mounted on walls or RCC

slabs. All tanks are neatly placed over toilet pipe

shafts within room like structures. This also helps in

providing better aesthetics. The terrace has got a

very efficient drainage detail. The terrace is also

used for washing and drying of clothes.

The solar hot water system has worked extremely

well. There is no back-up electrical use for heating

water. However, the glass break occasinally due to

thermal expansion. Therefore integrated collectors

should also be made in small packs and also should

have a ledge in front for maintenance purpose.

Both these changes are being incorporated in the

new blocks.

The thermal behaviour of rooms is satisfactory. No

device other than ceiling fans are used.

RAIN WATER

HARVESTING:

Rain water harvesting is also done in the Ashram.

During the rains, the rain water is not wasted, but is

directed towards a well, specially for this purpose.

According to the experts, this really helps to

maintain the water level.

ELECTRICITY

CONSERVATION:

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Electricity is sparingly provided all over with low

voltage corridor lights, two lights, and one fan per

room with three lights in the attached toilets and

dressing areas no. 15-ampere sockets are required.

Electrical conservation is due to the the timetable of

the residents matching daylight patterns.

no power is used for cleaning, hot water, washing of

clothes, toilets or any other function except (cold)

water pumping.

SYMBOLIC

ARCHITECTURE

The Tapasya Block and Mirambika follow a similar

Aurobinxdian architectural vocabulary in planning

and elevation. The graphic symbols of Sri Aurobindo

and The Mother are generators of the plan. The

structural system of load bearing with columns

wherever required is also common to both the

buildings.

There are twelve courtyards in both the buildings,

which represent the twelve aspects of The Mother.

Symbols of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother are found

mostly in railings of the new ashram blocks, in jalli

works and even the ceiling grid in the auditorium of

Mirambika school.

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meditation centre, sitamarhi

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