Originally from 52 different countries, 3,300 people live in Auroville today, nearly half of whom are Indians and 20% French.
The city is organized in a spiral that wraps around the center, where the Matrimandir, "house of the Mother", is located.
A golden sphere, as tall as a nine-storey building, a place of meditation.
The "Mother" chose to name the city in homage to her spiritual companion, the Indian philosopher Sri Aurobindo, founder of a movement that seeks harmony in all aspects of life.
A desert turned into a forest
In half a century, this experimental community has developed with the support of Unesco and is recognized by the government of India as "an international cultural city".
Residents have succeeded in transforming this desert into a forest: more than three million trees have been planted.
Today, Auroville extends over 2,000 hectares.
The city has become a veritable living laboratory, a pioneer in terms of ecological urban planning.
When they settle there, the Aurovillians cede their property to the community and renounce private property.
Threatened many times and deemed sectarian by some, the experimentation continues.
The objective is to successfully accommodate 50,000 inhabitants.
To achieve this, the Aurovillians made an investment request of 120 million euros to the Indian government, so as to revitalize a dormant utopia.
Because only a few hundred people settle in Auroville each year, in search of spirituality and ecological values.
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