Sri Aurobindo & The Mother stayed for 50+ years in a block of 4 houses known as the Ashram Main building at Pondicherry. The Samadhi is located here as well.
Sri Aurobindo and the Mother stayed for over half a century in a block of four houses that came to be known as the Ashram main building at Pondicherry. It was the centre of life in the Ashram when they were physically present and will remain so even in their physical absence. Hundreds of people go inside daily to breathe the serene atmosphere and come out spiritually charged. On special occasions, long queues are formed and visitors wait patiently to get a glimpse of their rooms. The building has become a means of contact with their subtle-physical presence. It is this reverence for the House of the Lord that has inspired this book on the Ashram main building.
Construction of the Balcony Block
Page 68
Nos travaux de construction sous la direction exclusive de disciples ingénieurs. - Mere
Translation:
Construction work under the sole supervision of engineer-disciples. - Mother
Page 69
Balcony Block under construction
View from north-east (Rue Saint Gilles) - circa September 1929
Page 70
Page 71
The Balcony Block
South view (2001) [right image] South view (circa October 1930)
Page 72
Le nouveau batîment (côté jardin). A droite un coin de la vieille maison qui sera démolie dés que l'autre sera terminée.- Mere
The new building (garden side). On the right, a corner of the old house which will be demolished when the other will be completed. - Mother
Page 73
The Balcony block has been built but the Old Secretariat has not yet been demolished. The Mother with disciples in front of the main gate of the Old Secretariat.
circa October 1930 View from Rue Saint Gilles
Page 74
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Page 76
The Mother's Evening Drives
In the other building [Old Secretariat] attached to the house of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo lived "Pavitra", a Frenchman named P.B. Saint-Hilaire, on the first floor. Chandulal, the Ashram engineer, lived in a room on the ground-floor of this building. This building, too, had a door leading to the road on the North. The Mother used this door to leave the Ashram premises for her daily evening drive lasting for about an hour and a half. It was Pavitra who drove the Mother's car. Many inmates of the Ashram used to assemble near the door at the hour of the Mother's going out to get a glimpse of her. Later the old building was pulled down and a new one constructed on the site.
Sahana Devi 18
Page 77
The Mother's Bridge
The other day you were saying that this whole structure, this whole building was rebuilt in the thirties.
It was all demolished and newly built. When I came, I was supervisor here.
It was built right from the basement?
Yes, yes. But when I reached the Ashram, it had already come up. We were almost on the upper floor. Pavitra's quarters were ready and he was living there [pointing at the Balcony block]. Mother was living there [pointing at the Meditation House] and those rooms above Dyuman's room were being built. One important thing you should know is this, that when this second storey was being built, the Mother used to go to Pavitra's room to give him meditation at 12 o'clock at night, and she used to walk on the scaffolding!
An Interview with Nagin Doshi 19
When the old Secretariat was demolished, a temporary bridge on the scaffolding was made for the Mother to walk across from the Meditation House to the Balcony block. The photos in this section show the bridge starting from the bathroom door on the first floor of the Meditation House and, after following a zig-zag course, ending on the portico of the Balcony block. The Mother walked on this bridge to go to Pavitra's room, according to Nagin Doshi. The term "Mother's bridge" has been taken from the work reports of Mrityunjoy who was in charge of the Electric Service during this period. In mid-June 1931, he fixed bulbs on the two ends of the bridge to provide light for the Mother when she walked on it.
Editor's Note
The bridge in the photograph on page 79 seems to have preceded the one in the other photographs of this section. Part of the old undemolished house is used here with railings on the side whereas the later one is almost entirely built on the scaffolding.
Page 78
Page 79
View from south-west (1931)
Page 80
Page 81
View from south-east, circa June 1931
Page 82
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Page 85
Completion of the New Secretariat
The New Secretariat was completed in 1932
1932-1942, View from south-west
Page 86
Construction of the Prosperity Block
The Prosperity block was completed in 1932
1932-1934, View from north-west
Page 87
The Ashram main building after completion of the Prosperity block and before construction of the Cold Storage block.
1932-1934 - View from north-west
Page 88
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Page 91
Terrace of the ground floor of Cold Storage block before construction of the first floor. Golconde seen at the back.
1947-1948, View from south-east
Page 92
The first floor of the Cold Storage block was completed in January 1958
1958-1962 - View from north-west
Recent view of the Cold Storage block
2001 - View from south-west
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