For pictures please head down to our Instagram account the Indian_Wanderer (Instagram.com/theindian_wanderer) 

If we had to describe Auroville in two words, we would say it replicates Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. The book spoke about a secret township in mountains, unreachable and untraceable. Created by geniuses, scientists, business tycoons and greatest artists of the world; leaving the rest of the world to discuss their mysterious disappearances.

Auroville near Pondicherry may mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but for us it’s an artist’s paradise. A township born out of Aurobindo Ghosh and Mira Alfassa’s vision, and designed by architect Roger Anger, Auroville looked absolutely stunning from the aerial view snaps we saw before we visited. Auroville has been carefully designed around the Matrimandir, also called the golden globe or Concentration Temple. This meditation temple, we discovered, is the nucleus of Auroville.We could even call it as Heart of Auroville as every traveller of Auroville for sure knows about Matrimandir.

What pulled us to Auroville is the number of artists that reside here, Matrimandir-The Concentration Temple and the internships that they offer to anyone who wishes to learn. But our trip went beyond that, taught us so much more. Everyone at Auroville is an artist in their own way. We met painters, potters, dancers, architects, actors, doctors, spiritual healers, etc but we were stunned when we went to a mechanic’s house. He has created a mini funfair in his backyard with old automobile parts – complete with a merry-go-round made with old bikes, bungee jumping gear with a car seats and many little fair bits like a see-saw with bike seats etc that were ingenious and fun at the same time. And he had done all of this in his own house or “his dome” as he likes to call it.

The art didn’t stop there. We met others too, people who made essential oils, perfumed sticks, herbal soaps, jams, candles, pottery, footwear etc, all artists in their unique ways.An entirely self-sufficient township, Auroville turned out to be exactly as Aurobindo Ghosh had visualised. People here grow their own crops, vegetables, prepare their own spices, oils, garments etc. The tourists, on the other hand, bring in the money to create the spiritual temple, Matrimandir and build the town further.

As a traveller, what amazed us was that we could live in Auroville with barely any money spent.  For Rs 400 a night, We stayed in a hotel for one night; though people interning in  Auroville can stay there for free based on the organization they intern with. Every traveller here usually eats at the Solar Kitchen either for free of cost in exchange for services or at a minimum cost of Rs 50.

A huge open buffet, the solar Kitchen is a unique concept to make sure nobody goes hungry. This kitchen prepares lunch every day and provides foods to various schools and institutes in the area as well. Volunteers are welcome to help around and cook if they wish to. This was one of the best ways to meet other travellers for us.

The food at the solar kitchen cannot be pinned down to any one cuisine either. And the reason is pretty evident. Since people from so many cultural backgrounds reside here, the kitchen has developed a unique blend of its own. Beyond solar kitchen too, the township offers various options – classic wooden oven made pizzas, pastas, salads and local sea food. A special mention must be made of the croissants from the only bakery in Auroville: they are simply heavenly. There are also a few tea shops, serving up an interesting range in tea flavours that ranged from normal ginger-lemon to classic earl grey to my personal favorite, lavender and jasmine flavoured tea.

Auroville also is known for its experimental architecture. The township boasts of some interestingly designed buildings. The entire town has been shaped like a galaxy and most houses have arches, curves and domes as part of their facade. Quite naturally, all roads in Auroville lead to the Matrimandir. Finished after years of building it, it is considered as one of the most spiritually energized place.

It is said that Maria Alfassa or Mother, as she is known, had a vision of this temple of meditation and the dome has been built to match that vision. The temple symbolises humanity, celebrating it and not representing any other religion. From far, it looks like a huge ball of gold. On a closer look, we could see a grid of massive gold plates. The temple interiors turned out to be quite deceptive though. With such warm, bright exteriors, I wasn’t prepared for the pure white, cool and peaceful interiors. The centre point of the top most floor of the temple is the meditation room, with one crystal ball right in the centre, illuminated by the one ray of light from the roof. A perfect place for all those seeking a spiritual getaway, we found the place to be extremely calm and soothing.

Auroville is also known for its Nature. We thought we were lucky enough to find a Peacock during our Trip but later on we realized that it was a very common view which is to be found in the Auroville Forest.

We decided to make the most of my 24 hours by learning pottery making. But there are other options too – dance, music, dramatics, painting, sketching, metal art, candle and essence making etc. People can write to Auroville through their website and ask to intern with the town itself. You can volunteer in running the township while you learn your art.

After a day out exploring and pottering around (pun intended!) we put an end to our day with a trip to the gorgeous beach and surf for a while. After a refreshing dip at sunset, we went back to the bakery to pick up some freshly-baked croissants before we bid goodbye to Auroville. Obviously, we did make a stop at Tanto’s Pizzeria which is just a minute away from Auroville to have some wood-fired Pizza’s.

An entire township created by one thought, and thousands of volunteers, Auroville is a wonder in its own way. It was everything we were looking for: a perfect escape. Every

For pictures please head down to our Instagram account the Indian_Wanderer (Instagram.com/theindian_wanderer)