meditation hall

SWAMIJI QUOTES

Inside the sanctuary, the visitors step through an intricately carved wooden archway and face the central altar, a three-dimensional Yantra of black and red carved granite, resting on a square wooden base.

A column of light rises from the center of the Yantra to the top of the dome into the pink hub. Once there, it divides into twelve smaller blue rays that descend to the tops of the arches over the altars, illuminating the religious symbols in the arches and shines down onto scriptural quotations resting on beautifully carved rosewood altars inlaid with brass. The entrance and exit have arches, but no altars. One represents Other Known Faiths, and the other represents Faiths Unknown.At night the light shines from the top clear story windows, and from the shrine’s base, floodlights bathe the shrine with light. Outside the front entrance of the shrine,on either side, stand two granite angels holding garlands to welcome all who enter.

The concrete walls around the entrance way are covered with polished red granite. Twenty – four pre-cast concrete petals rise from the circular pool surrounding the shrine, which makes the entire LOTUS appear to be floating on the water.

The exterior of the sanctuary is in the form of a lotus flower in its natural colour. The dome above is covered with a sky blue finish.

On the top of the dome rests a two foot clear story of windows over which the cupola, or vimanam is placed. The cupola is eight feet high and is covered with flowered embossed copper sheets with embossed garlands. Above this there is one foot clear story, on top of which stands the six foot spire, or the kalasam, covered in gold.