This week we’re continuing to showcase photos taken by Indra Poddar in the early years of Auroville. The Amphitheater in the Matrimandir gardens was originally designed for the inauguration ceremony of Auroville in February 1968, when earth from (almost) all the countries of the world and all the states of India was poured into the Urn at the heart of the Amphitheater.
Then in 1973 the Amphitheater was deepened, and the steps for seating that we see today were created. The photos of Indra Poddar featured in this post are from that time in 1973 when the Amphitheater was renovated.
A photo from Auroville’s inauguration ceremony on 28 February 1968, showing the Amphitheater around the Urn as it was at that time (this first photo is not by Indra Poddar):
Photos of construction work on the Amphitheater taken on 04 January 1973:
Photo taken on 06 February 1973:
Photos taken on 23 April 1973:
Photos taken on 23 June 1973. The scaffolding of the Matrimandir under construction can be seen in the background in these last few photos:
The Amphitheater in use on 01 October 1973:
Auroville Archives 