The Matrimandir

I feel very lucky that i was able to get inside the Matrimandir structure, which wasn't even listed as an option on the tour day itinerary. But Jackie pulled some strings, since we were rattling on about meditation already. But i didn't really get what it was about 'til i got inside of it.

i actually think it looks kinda tacky from the outside, but inside it's another world. 1st you walk up this ramp into the bottom 1/2 of the sphere. Everything is white. you take white socks out of a compartment and don them. The whole place is so f'ing quiet and pristine i was afraid to touch anything.

Two spiral walkways wind up through the globe to the top room. Refracted sunlight lights up the walls with glowing pink. It's weird, there's no way to identify which side of the sphere the sun is on. I felt like i was in some zen sort of Epcot Centre.

Then we went into the top room. I couldn't believe it. The temperature was weirdly cool. There was a strange echoey quiet. The only light source was a sharp shaft of light piercing down from the top of the sphere, into a crystal sphere in the centre of the room, after which it proceeded down through the bottom of the structure to the ground. Meditation spots were spaciously arranged. Cylindrical pillars stretched up into the spherical space.

Sorry, you'll never get the feel of the place from this description, but it was totally INTENSE. Everything was so meticulously arranged and so pristine. I was afraid to sit down. Never before have i ever been in such a powerful architectural space before. This place really inspired a sense of awe and perfection.

The closest thing i've seen might be Daniel Libeskind's Holocaust Tower. That was also quite powerful, but a lot more depressing. Therefore, i vote for Matrimandir.