Auroville Archives

This post will be an ongoing mini-project, in which we collect one photo from each year of the Matrimandir’s construction. The Matrimandir took 36 years to complete. Excavation of the pit began in 1971, construction began in 1972, and the structure was finally completed in 2008. We have not yet identified photos for each year, and we are unsure of the date of some of the photos below, but as we progress with this mini-project we will hopefully get photos to cover the gap-years, and refine the dates of the photos we already have!

A bit of background about the Matrimandir and the Peace Area around it:

The idea to have a Peace Area with “Mother’s Pavilion” at the heart of Auroville was as old as the idea of the township itself. The Peace Area existed in the first sketch that The Mother drew of Auroville’s layout in 1965. And when it came time for Auroville’s inauguration ceremony in February 1968, it was of course this central area that was chosen for the ceremony, consisting of the Banyan tree and the Amphitheater that was constructed for the inauguration. However, the focus during those early years was on trying to get the township itself off the ground, and then housing the people who had started coming to live in Auroville. And so for a while the design of the Peace Area and Matrimandir (as it came to be called) was sidelined. This changed when The Mother put the design and construction of the Matrimandir on the front-burner in early 1970, after she agreed to the suggestion that constructing the Matrimandir could become a unifying factor in Auroville.

The initial design process continued through 1970, and excavation work on Matrimandir’s pit began in March 1971. Construction work began in February 1973. At the time that construction began, much of Matrimandir’s design had not been finalized, but it was agreed to design and build the structure in such a way that changes could be incorporated at various stages of construction.

Enjoy the photos!

Before Matrimandir, a photo from 1968, making the Amphitheater for Auroville’s inauguration ceremony in the Peace Area:

The photo above was taken in 1968, during the construction of the Amphitheater adjacent to the Banyan tree (in the background) in the Peace Area, before Matrimandir construction began. The Amphitheater was built initially for Auroville’s inauguration ceremony, and marked the beginning of landscaping/construction work in the Peace Area. Excavation work for the Matrimandir will begin in 1971, in the area to the right of the Banyan tree in the photo.

1971, Matrimandir excavation work:

1972, construction begins, foundation being laid:

1973, the four pillars coming up, with the Banyan visible in the background:

1974, the structure emerges from the pit, and the four ribs begin being cast:

1975, ribs reach the half-way mark, and the four “cantilevers” are completed, on which the inner chamber will be supported:

1976, ribs reach the top:

1977, inner chamber being constructed:

1978, inner chamber complete:

1979, spiral ramps in place:

1982, the outer space frame coming up:

1984, space frame progressing:

1986, space frame progressing:

1987, space frame progressing:

1988, space frame complete:

1989, triangular panels begin to be put in place and testing of golden disks. Work on the twelve surrounding petals and the paths to the lotus pond below the sphere also begin:

1992, triangular panels and petals taking shape:

1993, petals taking shape:

1994, petals covered in red sandstone:

1995:

1996(?), golden disks begin to be put in place:

1999(?), golden disks:

2000s:

2000s:

2000s:

2000s: