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The City of DawnAuroville
The world's only internationally endorsed ongoing experiment in human unity and transformation of consciousness โ a living proof that people from all nations can build a new civilisation together.
A Living Laboratory of Human Unity
Auroville is an international township in Tamil Nadu, South India โ approximately 150 km south of Chennai and 10 km north of Puducherry. It was founded on 28 February 1968 and is home to people from more than 60 nations.
Unlike any other community on Earth, Auroville was created specifically as an experiment: to test whether human beings from vastly different cultural, national, and ideological backgrounds can truly live together in peace, transcending their differences in service of a shared vision of conscious civilisation.
The Mother's Vision
"There should be somewhere on earth a place which no nation could claim as its own, where all human beings of goodwill who have a sincere aspiration could live freely as citizens of the world and obey one single authority, that of the supreme Truth."
โ The Mother, Mirra Alfassa (1965)Mirra Alfassa โ known as The Mother โ was the spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo. She envisioned Auroville as a "living laboratory where integral human development could be accelerated" โ a place where the next step in human evolution could be consciously explored and demonstrated.
- No person is a citizen of any nation inside Auroville
- No religion is practiced as dogma โ all spiritual paths are respected
- Money and commerce are progressively transcended in favour of service
- The Matrimandir at the centre is the spiritual heart of the city
- All decisions aim at serving the collective, not individual gain
- Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole
A Historical Timeline
1954
The Vision Emerges
The Mother first speaks of her dream for a city of the future dedicated to human unity and consciousness evolution.
1965
Concept Developed & Approved
The Mother's vision is formalised. The concept of Auroville as an international city is developed and receives initial approvals.
1966
UNESCO Recognition
UNESCO passes a unanimous resolution commending Auroville as a project of international importance โ extraordinary recognition before the city even exists.
1968
Official Inauguration
5,000 people attend the inauguration. Youth representatives from 124 nations and all Indian states place earth from their homeland in a marble urn near the future Matrimandir.
1970s
Building the Foundation
Pioneers begin transforming barren land into a forested community. The Matrimandir construction begins. The ecological restoration of the bioregion starts.
2008
The Matrimandir Opens
The Matrimandir โ the Soul of the City โ opens to visitors. A sphere of 36 metres diameter, housing the inner chamber for silent individual concentration.
Today
A Living Experiment
Over 3,300 residents from 60+ nations, 300+ community-run businesses, and ongoing research in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, education, and human unity.
The Galaxy Concept
Auroville's master plan is shaped like a galaxy โ a central meditation hall (the Matrimandir) surrounded by four zones, each serving a distinct function in the life of a conscious city.
Industrial Zone
Small-scale industries, crafts, and sustainable production. CIRHU is located near here, close to the International Zone.
Cultural Zone
Arts, music, dance, performance, and creative expression โ celebrating the diversity of human cultural life.
Residential Zone
Housing and community living for Auroville's residents, designed for sustainable and conscious daily life.
Green Belt
A 2.5 km ring of forests, farms, and nature sanctuaries โ the ecological lungs of the city and a model for sustainable land use.
CIRHU is Part of This
Embedded in Auroville, CIRHU draws on 50+ years of lived experience in human unity to ground its research in reality.