Enlightening experience in India

04-04-2005, 07:09 AM

Enlightening experience in IndiaStory & pictures by M.KRISHNAMOORTHY

This structure before the museum symbolises the universe being held up by
God.Out in the middle of nowhere, deep in the heartland of India, a magnificent
Chinese-styled palace suddenly appears out of nowhere when you drive 130km north
of Bangalore. You do a double-take and then remind yourself you are in India,
in Andhra Pradesh. Two stone lions, standing nine feet tall (2.7m), welcome
visitors at the entrance. You have to leave your footwear and continue walking
on a stone pavement, past balustrades. As I step into the spacious and
splendidly coloured reception area, moving away from the Indian summer heat, I
feel tranquil and calm. It is appropriate, considering this is the Chaitanya
Jyoti, the museum of all religions. Here, you will see amazing multimedia
presentations on how religious leaders and founders like Prophet Mohammad,
Jesus and Gautama Buddha went through difficult times as they went about
spreading their teachings. It feels as if you are being taken back in time, a
witness to great events. The Chaitanya Jyoti, inaugurated four years ago on
Nov 18, was designed by the late Malaysian architect Goh Say Tong. His design
was picked because it fused different cultures and architectural styles.

Find enlightenment in the “time tunnel"The building, whose name means
“Experiencing the Divine”, is flanked by two pavilions crowned by Moorish domes
made of titanium. The Chinese-styled roof of the main building is the largest
outside mainland China. The two lift shafts for the six-storey building have
Japanese style roofs and there is a fish pond out front, designed by a
specialist from Singapore. The stone balustrades, roof tiles and the stupa come
from China. Built by craftsmen from China in Puttarparthi, the building has won
several international awards, the latest being the Indian Concrete Institute’s
Most Outstanding Concrete Structure. The Chaitanya Jyoti, designed in honour
of one of India’s most famous holy men, Sathya Sai Baba, was built to
commemorate his 75th birthday. Consultants, engineers and workers from some 30
countries worked on the building, completing it within six months.

The architecture here is influenced by several cultures, hence the Moorish dome.

As I walked pass the exhibits, one striking quote by Sai Baba caught my
attention. “Love as thought is truth. Love as action is right conduct. Love as
feeling is peace. Love as understanding is non-violence.” As I strolled out of
the museum, the message of the exhibits lingered in my mind: “Discard ego, and
work for the good of man”, “Love all, serve all, help ever and hurt never” and
“Work selflessly for the suffering of the poor and provide them what they
lack.”

sourced:
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/stor...4&sec=features
With love and light

Deepak Arjandas Bharwani
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