Auroville (City of Dawn) is an experimental township in Viluppuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India near Puducherry in South India, whose stated purpose is to realize human unity in diversity. It is a popular tourist destination, and has been described as a "New Age metropolis conceived as an alternative exercise in ecological and spiritual living." The township starkly stands out from the surrounding traditional Indian villages and farms.



In the middle of the town is the Matrimandir, an unfinished golf-ball-like giant globe covered with golden discs. It was conceived as "a symbol of the Divine's answer to man's inspiration for perfection." As you approach, "silence is compulsory and the cult-like atmosphere is reinforced by volunteers who wordlessly motion you to pass them. Any efforts to meet their gaze are greeted with complete impassivity."

"Inside, a spiraling wooden ramp leads upwards through scaffolding and plastic sheeting to a spherical, air- conditioned meditation room of polished white marble. At its centre, a 70cm crystal ball in a gold mount glows eerily in its spotlight, like the setting of some giant engagement ring, the cool, blue-white, immaculate minimalism in sharp contrast with the hot, dusty, polychromatic chaos beyond the grounds." It is fueled by solar panels and is surrounded by perfectly manicured gardens.

Radiating from this centre are four "zones" as indicated by The Mother: the "Residential Zone", "Industrial Zone", "Cultural Zone" and "International Zone". Around the city area proper a so-called "Green Belt" has formed through rigorous and steady rehabilitation of the land, which includes farms and forestries.

In the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Auroville residents assisted with collecting bodies and guiding survivors to shelter