Spirituality and ecological values: What remains of India's utopian city of Auroville?

"The Mother" named the city of Auroville after her spiritual partner, the Indian philosopher Sri Aurobindo, founder of a movement that seeks harmony in all aspects of life.

Over the past half-century, this experimental community has developed with the support of UNESCO and is recognised by the government of India as "an international cultural city". The city is organised in a spiral that wraps around the centre, where the Matrimandir, or "temple of the mother", is located. It's a golden ball (pictured), as tall as a nine-story building, a place of meditation.

Residents have managed to transform this desert into a forest: more than 3 million trees have been planted. Today, Auroville covers 2,000 hectares. The city has become a veritable living laboratory, a pioneer in ecological urban planning. When they settle there, Aurovillians cede their property to the community and renounce private ownership. Despite being repeatedly threatened and considered sectarian by some, the experiment continues.

The objective is to accommodate 50,000 inhabitants. To make this a reality, the residents of Auroville have asked the Indian government for €120 million in a bid to rejuvenate this dormant utopia. Only around 100 people settle in Auroville each year, in search of spirituality and ecological values.

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