There are ancient monuments that continue to fascinate us; and these are buildings where one breathes in, what we call, a certain 'spirit'. Why is this so?
Sri Aurobindo mentions this presence of the invisible in his book The Foundations of Indian Culture:

"Architecture, sculpture and painting, because they are the three great arts which appeal to the spirit through the eye, are those too in which the sensible and the invisible meet with the strongest emphasis on themselves and yet the greatest necessity of each other".

Do forms, by virtue of their proportions, geometry, colour, orientation and materials and techniques used, have the capacity to influence the human being at more than just the physical and intellectual level?

It is well known that the Great Pyramid has a profound effect on man and matter. Experiments carried out in the last two decades have shown that the room inside the Great Pyramid influences the physical, chemical and biological processes of any object brought into it. Research has shown that this is due to the proportions of the pyramid, to the location of the room in the pyramid, and to the proportions of the room itself. The geometry of the Great Pyramid is based on the Golden Section. This section has been made visible in the drawing by means of the horizontal line that intersects with the sloping lines marked with a:   (refer fig: 1)

This pyramid was built by people who had an insight into cosmic movements and it was intended to be a space and form through which Knowledge on Man's place in the spiral of Evolution could be passed down to future generations.

Analysing Matrimandir in this light led to some interesting results - especially because it is not a conventional building in any sense. It is the realisation of a vision of the Mother, built on the faith and conviction of people of diverse backgrounds who believe in its importance.

What in terms of `architecture' makes the Inner Chamber a special place?

It was ten years after Mother first expressed her vision of the Inner Chamber that it was found by chance that the Golden Section and the proportions of the Great Pyramid are precisely incorporated in its cross section (fig 1).

It was also discovered that Sri Aurobindo's symbol fitted exactly into the Shalagram, the form in which Matrimandir has been built (fig.2). (A shalagram is an ancient symbol described in Hindu Cosmology as 'the Egg of Brahman' from where the creation has sprung forth). In other words, there are two triangles with the same proportions as the Great Pyramid inside the Shalagram.

The energy field inside the Great Pyramid is located at one-third of its height (the place where the King's Chamber is situated). If we project this to the two triangles inside the Shalagram, we get a band of about 110 centimeters where the energy field will be concentrated. This band will be in the Inner Chamber, precisely where the people will sit. fig 3.)

The question immediately arises if the effects on man and matter, as experienced in the King's Chamber, will also be experienced in the Inner Chamber of Matrimandir. And what will be the effect of the crystal globe in its centre, with the ray of sunlight descending on it, in itself already a powerful object to behold?

How many people have already felt overawed by this space, embodying the soul of Auroville?

We can expect that, in due time, a lot of fascinating answers will be given to these questions, and that the theory of form and proportions and their energies, which as yet is not generally accepted as not many 'scientific' proofs can be given, will be re-discovered.

Contact: mona@auroville.org.in

- Source of  figures shown in the above article is Patricia Norelli-Bachelet's book, ‘The Gnostic Circle’.