Auroville Archives

The Exhibition Under The Banyan Tree

The event at the Amphitheater included the pouring of soil from many countries of the world as well as from Indian states, and the reading out of the Auroville Charter in various languages. After this, the other important part of Auroville’s inauguration ceremony was the exhibition installed under the Banyan Tree.

We have seen Paolo Tommasi’s sketches imagining the exhibition. This exhibition showcased at the inauguration the purpose of Auroville and the plans and designs for the city as they existed at that time. It gave a bit of a flavour of what was to come up around the inauguration site.

The Banyan Tree seen in the background from the Amphitheater event
Looking from the Amphitheater stands towards the Banyan
The exhibition under the Banyan Tree
The tarpaulins shading the exhibition, and open landscapes around
Exhibition crowd
Model showing the location of Auroville in relation to the surrounding area
Exhibition views
Photo showing the construction of circular platforms around the Banyan Tree
Model of potential housing design in Auroville
“Humanity is not the last rung of the terrestrial creation. Evolution continues and man will be surpassed. It is for each individual to know whether he wants to participate in the advent of this new species.”
Model showing an early design for the Peace Area. This is before the design of the Matrimandir started to take shape.
The same model placed in the viewing area of the Amphitheater at the end of the inauguration ceremony. What was to ultimately come up in the Peace Area (the current Matrimandir and its gardens) was of course very different
Paintings by Champaklal displayed at the exhibition
The Auroville Charter in French in The Mother’s handwriting, and the translation in Tamil
“Auroville is the shelter built for all those who want to hasten towards a future of Knowledge, Peace and
Unity.”
Garlands on the Banyan Tree

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