Auroville

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Auroville is a small town 6 km north of Pondicherry. This town was a vision of The Mother from Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry as it's an international town. She envisioned a town where unity will be celebrated and a

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Living the experiment

Auroville’s daily rhythm is defined by its community workshops rather than tourist itineraries. Early mornings often start with a shared yoga session on the central Matrimandir lawns, followed by practical classes ranging from organic composting to Sanskrit chanting. Visitors who stay in the guest houses are encouraged to contribute a few hours to a project—be it in the solar farm or the seed bank—so they experience the collaborative decision‑making that shapes the settlement. This hands‑on involvement reveals how the township’s self‑governance operates on the ground, turning abstract ideals into a lived, messy, but rewarding practice.

Beyond the Matrimandir

While the gleaming golden sphere dominates the skyline, the surrounding landscape offers quieter points of interest. The nearby Auroville Botanical Gardens host a living catalogue of rare medicinal plants cultivated by resident botanists, and the nearby "Bunny Park" provides a chance to interact with rescued rabbits in a communal setting. These pockets are less frequented by day‑trippers and give a sense of the township’s commitment to biodiversity, animal welfare, and low‑impact tourism.

Seasonal colour palette

Auroville’s climate shifts noticeably between the pre‑monsoon heat of March‑May and the lush greening of October‑December. Travellers arriving in the early summer should pack breathable cotton and a wide‑brimmed hat; the evenings can be unexpectedly cool, so a light shawl is useful. The post‑monsoon period carries a gentle humidity that makes the garden walks fragrant and the waterfalls at nearby Puducherry more vigorous. Planning a visit after the rains offers both visual splendour and a quieter community calendar, as many residents resume indoor workshops.

Introduction

This article contains promotional content. Please help improve it by removing promotional language and inappropriate external links, and by adding encyclopedic text written from a neutral point of view.See our advice if the article is about you and read our scam warning in case someone asks for money to edit this article. (October 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Experimental township in Villupuram district and Puducherry, South India Town in Tamil Nadu, IndiaAuroville Aurore (French)TownTown hall of Auroville SealNickname: City of DawnAurovilleCoordinates: 12°0′25″N 79°48′38″E / 12.00694°N 79.81056°E / 12.00694; 79.81056CountryIndiaStateTamil NaduDistrictPuducherryEstablished1968Founded byMirra AlfassaNamed afterSri AurobindoGovernment • TypeSelf-governance in collaboration with the Government of India • BodyResident's assemblyPopulation (2021) • Total3,300Demonym(s)Aurovilian, AurovillienneTime zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)Postal code605101Telephone code0413Vehicle registrationTN-16, PY-01Websitewww.auroville.org Part of a series onUtopias Mythical and religious Arcadia City of the Caesars Cloud cuckoo land Cockaigne Eden Elysium Fortunate Isles Garden of the gods Golden Age Great Unity Ketumati Kingdom of God Libertatia Mag Mell Mahoroba Merry England Mezzoramia Most Great Peace Mount Penglai New Jerusalem Opona Satya Yuga Shangri-La Valhalla Yvy marã e'ỹ Zion Literature Ideology and Utopia List The Republic Utopia Gulliver's Travels Dystopian literature Theory Communitas perfecta Heterotopia Ideal city Renaissance Sforzinda Pantisocracy Real utopian sociology Third International Theory Utopia for Realists Utopian studies Solarpunk Concepts Arcology Agriculturalism Escapism Millenarianism New Man Social harmony Technological Cyber-utopianism Post-scarcity economy Transhumanism Utopian socialism Practice Architecture Egalitarian community HosPex Open borders Pirate utopia UBI Intentional community Atarashiki-mura Huaxi Village Nanjie Sustainable Communities by country America Finland Germany Organizations Associationists Anthroposophs Lindisfarne Millennium WFS Zeitgeist vte Auroville (/ˈɔːrəvɪl/; City of Dawn French: Cité de l'aube) is an experimental township in Viluppuram district, mostly in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, with some parts in the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (known as "the Mother" or "La Mère") and designed by architect Roger Anger.

History

[edit] 2018 stamp sheet of India dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Auroville At its Annual Conference in 1964 and with Mirra Alfassa as its Executive President, the Sri Aurobindo Society in Puducherry passed a resolution for the establishment of a city dedicated to the vision of Sri Aurobindo. Alfassa was the spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo, who believed that "man is a transitional being."[citation needed] Alfassa expected that this experimental "universal township" would contribute significantly to the "progress of humanity towards its splendid future by bringing together people of goodwill and aspiration for a better world". Alfassa also believed that such a universal township would contribute decisively to the Indian renaissance. Alfassa's first public message in 1965 stated: Greetings from Auroville to all men of good will. Are invited to Auroville all those who thirst for progress and aspire to a higher and truer life. Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries will be able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realise Human Unity— Mirra Alfassa Site[edit] A site, approximately 20 square kilometres of a desertified plateau some 10 km north of Pondicherry and 5 km from the coast, was chosen for the city. Inauguration[edit] The inauguration ceremony, which was attended by delegates from 124 nations, was held on Wednesday, 28 February 1968. Handwritten in French by Alfassa (the "Mother"), its four-point charter set forth her vision of "integral living": Auroville belongs to nobody in particular. Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole. But to live in Auroville, one must be the willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness. Auroville will be the place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that never ages. Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future. Taking advantage of all discoveries from without and from within, Auroville will boldly spring toward future realizations. Auroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual human unity.

Legal status and government

[edit] Prior to 1980, the Sri Aurobindo Society legally owned all of the city's assets. In 1980, the Government of India passed the Auroville Emergency Provision Act 1980, under which it took over the city's management. The change was initiated after Mirra Alfassa died in 1973, and serious fissures developed between the Society and the city's residents in its day-to-day management. The residents appealed to Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India, for an intervention. The Society challenged the government's action in the Supreme Court of India. The final verdict upheld the constitutional validity of the government's action and intervention. In 1988, after the verdict, a need was felt to make a lasting arrangement for the long-term management of Auroville. The city's representatives, along with Kireet Joshi, then Educational Advisor to the Union government, met for consultations with then-prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Later that year, the Auroville Foundation Act 1988[inappropriate external link?], was passed by the Indian Parliament. The Act stipulated the vesting of all movable and immovable assets of the city in a foundation known as Auroville Foundation and creating a three-tier governing system: the Governing Board, the Residents' Assembly, and the Auroville International Advisory Council. The Governing Board selected by the Indian government consists of seven prominent Indians in education, culture, environment, and social service in the areas of Auroville's ideals. The International Advisory Council is composed of five members also selected by the government who have rendered valuable service to humanity in the areas of Auroville's ideals. The Residents' Assembly consists of all official residents of the city. All three governing bodies are meant to work in harmony and collaborate to accomplish the ideals of Auroville as mentioned in the charter, as per processes defined in the Auroville Foundation Act[inappropriate external link?]. The Auroville Foundation is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD). The HRD ministry appoints the seven members of the Governing Board and the five members of the International Advisory Council. There is also a secretary to the Foundation, appointed by the government, who resides in Auroville and has an office with supporting staff. The Foundation currently owns about half of the total land required for the township. The remaining lands are being purchased whenever funds are available. Chairmen throughout the years[edit] Karan Singh – former Union Minister, 1991 M. S. Swaminathan – agricultural scientist Kireet Joshi – former Special Educational Advisor to the Government of India R. N. Ravi – Governor of Tamil Nadu

Society and population

[edit] General evolution of Aurovilian population In the initial 20 years, about 400 individuals from 20 countries resided in the township. In the next 20 years, this number rose to 2,000 individuals from 40 countries. As of January 2018[update], it has 2,814 residents (2,127 adults and 687 children) from 54 countries with around 50% from India, and almost 20% from both France and Germany. The community had many residential housing clusters with Tamil, English, French and Sanskrit names like Aspiration, Arati, La Ferme, Auromodel and Isaiambalam. Courtyard of the Tibetan Centre, Auroville Dalai Lama's seat, Tibetan Centre, Auroville Demographics[edit] The population break-down: Nationality Dec 2021 Indian 1513 French 462 German 260 Italian 177 Dutch 106 American 117 Russian 82 Spanish 65 British 66 Swiss 41 Israeli 50 Belgian 43 South Korean 52 Swedish 24 Canadian 26 Ukrainian 22 Australian 19 Austrian 12 Japanese 13 South African 13 Chinese (excluding Tibetan) 16 Argentinian 9 Hungarian 8 Slovenian 6 Mexican 6 Nepalese 6 Brazilian 12 Latvian 4 Belarusian 4 Tibetan 3 Ethiopian 3 Sri Lankan 3 Bulgarian 2 Moldovan 1 Icelandic 1 Colombian 5 Rwandan 2 Irish 2 Czech 1 Filipino 2 Danish 5 Taiwanese 2 Ecuadorian 1 Egyptian 1 Algerian 1 Finnish 2 Iranian 9 Kazakh 4 Lithuanian 2 Chilean 2 Macedonian 4 Norwegian 2 Portuguese 2 Croatian 1 Indonesian 1 Luxembourger 1 Polish 1 Sudanese 1 Romanian 1 Total 3,302 Surrounding villages[edit] Auroville works closely together with the surrounding villages, where mainly Tamil people reside, via the Auroville Village Action Trust under which many different projects including the villages fall. The biggest one under the trust is the Auroville Village Action Group (AVAG), which has programs for women's empowerment, education, and financial support and also sells its own products in the name of AVAL, Surya, and Kudumbam as social enterprise work. Other activities falling under the trust are the Life Education Centre, Auroville Industrial School, Mohanam cultural centre, Auroville Health Services, Deepam school for disabled children, Thamarai community centre, Martuvam Healing forest, and the Reach for the Stars! program enabling higher education for village youth. Concerns exist because of violence allegedly caused by criminal elements entering from the surrounding villages.

Auroville

From Wikipedia

Living the experiment

Beyond the Matrimandir

Seasonal colour palette

Introduction

Etymology

History

The Matrimandir

Legal status and government

Society and population

Economy

Location

Climate

Communications and media

BBC child abuse investigation

Controversial development plans

50th anniversary

In popular culture

Gallery