The Township Plan

The whole of Auroville is meant to be field of material and spiritual researches, of unending education and progress, of innovations and experiments that pave the for the emergence of “a living embodiment of an actual human unity”. 

The township plan of Auroville seeks to facilitate this vision, this goal, this aspiration. 

3 years before the inauguration of Auroville, the Mother, while conversing with a disciple about Auroville, simply took a piece of paper and made a drawing of the Township plan that seemed deceptively simple, but was practical and relevant. 

…the interesting thing is that around this central point (Matrimandir), there are four big sections, like four big petals…. the corners of the petals are rounded and there are small intermediate zones ….

…We have four big sections: the cultural section, ….the industrial section; … the international section; and …the residential section. To make myself clear: the residential section, where there will be the houses… The international section: …a pavilion from every country. …Then the industrial section. (and)…the cultural section.

…Between these sections, there are intermediate zones, four intermediate zones: one for public services, post office, etc.; one zone for transport …, one zone for food …and would include dairies, hen-houses, orchards, cultivated lands, etc.;… Then a fourth zone. I have said: public services, transport, food, and the fourth zone: shops. We do not need many shops, but a few are necessary in order to obtain what we do not produce.

The Mother

Based on these guidelines of the Mother, Auroville’s chief architect Roger Anger worked extensively on preparing a model in his studio in Paris and offered several models to the Mother. The Mother selected the following model known as the Galaxy model.

The following is the actual diagram of the planned township:

The total planned township area comprises 20 sq. km or approx. 4950 acres.