Matrimandir

At the very centre of Auroville one finds the 'soul of the city', the Matrimandir, situated in a large open area called 'Peace', from where the future township will radiate outwards. The atmosphere is quiet and charged, and the area beautiful, even though at present large parts of it are still under construction.

As yet incomplete, the Matrimandir emerges as a large golden sphere which seems to be rising out of the earth, symbolising the birth of a new consciousness seeking to manifest. Its slow and steady progress towards completion is followed by many.

While walking through the lovely green Matrimandir Gardens with their great variety of flowers, shrubs and trees, one's attention is greatly drawn by this important and powerful feature at the heart of the city which was seen by the Mother as the "symbol of the Divine's answer to man's aspiration for perfection" and as "the central cohesive force" for the growth of Auroville.
Evolutionary principle

The name 'Matrimandir' means literally 'Temple of the Mother'. According to Sri Aurobindo's teaching, the 'Mother' concept stands for the great evolutionary, conscious and intelligent principle of Life, the Universal Mother, - which seeks to help humanity move beyond its present limitations into the next step of its evolutionary adventure, the supramental consciousness.

The four Pillars

The four pillars that support the structure of Matrimandir, and carry the Inner Chamber, have been set at the four main directions of the compass.

The pillars of the Matrimandir have been named after these:

Maheshwari (south pillar)	One is her personality of calm wideness and comprehending wisdom and tranquil benignity and inexhaustible compassion and sovereign and surpassing majesty and all-ruling greatness.
Mahakali (north pillar)	Another embodies her power of splendid strength and irresistible passion, her warrior mood, her overwhelming will, her impetuous swiftness and world-shaking force.
Mahalakshmi (east pillar)	A third is vivid and sweet and wonderful with her deep secret of beauty and harmony and fine rhythm, her intricate and subtle opulence, her compelling attraction and captivating grace.
Mahasaraswati (west pillar)	The fourth is equipped with her close and profound capacity of intimate knowledge and careful flawless work and quiet and exact perfection in all things..

Inner Chamber

The spacious Inner Chamber in the upper hemisphere of the structure is completely white, with white marble walls and white carpeting. In the centre a pure crystal-glass globe suffuses a ray of electronically guided sunlight which falls on it through an opening at the apex of the sphere.
"The most important thing is this: the play of the sun on the centre. Because that becomes the symbol, the symbol of future realisations."

There are no images, no organised meditations, no flowers, no incense, no religion or religious forms.

The Mother's symbol and the Petals

The meditation rooms inside the twelve stone-clad 'petals' surrounding the Matrimandir carry the names and colours of the 'petals' in the Mother's symbol:

These are:

1. Sincerity
2. Humility
3. Gratitude
4. Perseverance
5. Aspiration
6. Receptivity
7. Progress
8. Courage
9. Goodness
10. Generosity
11. Equality
12. Peace

"The first eight concern the attitude towards the Divine, and the last four towards humanity." (Mother's symbol)

Meaning of colours

In March 1934, Sri Aurobindo indicated through the colour chart of the twelve petals pertaining to the symbol:

• Center and four powers, white;
  

• The twelve all different colors
  in three groups:

• top group red, passing to orange towards yellow;

• next group, yellow passing through green towards blue;

• and third group, blue passing through violet towards red.
  

• If white is not convenient, the center may be gold (powder).

According to Sri Aurobindo the colours mentioned generally have the following significances, though the exact meaning may vary "with the field, the combinations, the character and shades of the color, the play of forces":Colours of meditation rooms

red	-	physical
yellow	-	thinking mind
blue	-	higher mind
orange	-	supramental in the physical
violet	-	divine compassion or grace
gold	-	divine Truth
green	-	life
white	-	the light of the Mother, or the Divine Consciousn

Colours of meditation rooms

The above mentioned names and colours have been integrated into the sequence of the meditation rooms which are being completed inside each of the twelve petals surrounding the structure in the following order:

Sincerity	-	light blue
Peace	-	deep blue
Equality	-	blue violet
Generosity	-	pure violet
Goodness	-	reddish violet
Courage	-	red
Progress	-	orange red
Receptivity	-	orange
Aspiration	-	orange yellow
Perseverance	-	pale yellow
Gratitude	-	pale green
Humility	-	deep green