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GORAI | Global Vipassana Pagoda | 96 m | Completed

124K views 152 replies 51 participants last post by  oliverd7 
#1 · (Edited)
X-posted from my thread in the international forum

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Global Vipassana Pagoda -- Dharavi Island, Gorai, Mumbai



Since I'm lazy, I'll just let wikipedia do most of the work explaining the background to this wonderful project that breaks all sorts of records: the largest stupa, largest manmade dome, and largest rock cave in the world:

The Global Pagoda is a monument being built as part of the Esselworld Amusement Park on Dharavi Island near the city of Bombay, India. The Global Pagoda is being built by Satyanarayan Goenka, leader of a New Age, neo-Buddhist sect, although Mr. Goenka himself remains a Hindu. Its traditional Burmese design is an expression of gratitude towards the country of Myanmar for preserving the practice of Vipassana.

It is being built combining ancient Indian and modern technology to enable it to last for at least 2000 years. The center of the Global Pagoda contains the world's largest stone dome built without any supporting pillars. The planned height of the building is 96.12 meters, which is twice the size of the previously largest hollow stone monument in the world, the Gol Gumbaz Dome in Bijapur, India.[1]

The inside of the pagoda is hollow and serves as a very large meditation hall with an area covering more than 6000 m2 (65,000 ft2). The massive inner dome seats over 8000 people enabling them to practice the non-sectarian Vipassana meditation as taught by Mr S.N. Goenka and now widely being practiced in over 100 countries, including in many prisons such as Asia's largest prison, Tihar Jail, New Delhi, India.

Relics of Gautama the Buddha, purportedly genuine, were enshrined in the central locking stone of the dome on October 29, 2006, making it the world's largest structure containing the bone relics of the Buddha.

The aim of the pagoda complex is, among others, to express gratitude to Gautama Buddha for dispensing for what followers believe is a universal teaching for the eradication of suffering, to educate the public about the life and teaching of the Buddha, and to provide a place for the practice of meditation.

The Global Pagoda complex is still under construction with plans to include a museum depicting the life and teaching of Gautama Buddha that is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. The Global Pagoda's educational displays will communicate the Buddha's universal teaching as a path towards real happiness.


The height of the pagoda will be 96.12m, to put that in perspective, that's nearly the height of a 30-storey building!


Here's an article explaining about the project:

State-of-the-art pagoda in city
Monument set to become one of country’s major tourist attractions

Mumbai, October 12: The work for the World Vipassana Foundation’s pagoda, a replica of Myanmar’s Shwedagon pagoda, is in full swing. It will be completed by December next year. The pagoda, a dream project of S N Goyanka, who has taught vipassana to thousands of people in India and other countries, is situated near Gorai’s Essel World area.

The ceremony of placing sacred relics of Gautam Buddha in pagoda will be done by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on October 29. This unique pagoda will be about 325 feet high.

The Maha Bodhi Association of India has donated sacred relics of Gautam Buddha to be enshrined in the pagoda. Buddhists in Myanmar have also donated materials for the pagoda. It includes 850 marble rocks with the size of one cubic meter each for flooring the pagoda compound; 150,000 square feet of parquet for laying the floor of the cave; timber for crafting Myanmar decorations and 90 door frames; the sacred gold umbrella; stone Buddha statues including 28 2.5 feet high vipassana-practising Buddha statues in various mudras (postures); 18-feet high Buddha statue in sitting position; eight 5.5-feet high standing Buddha statues and donations totaling to $23 million will be spent in building this pagoda. The pagoda will contain a 280-feet diameter cave with no supporting columns. It will be the largest rock cave in the world. Unlike other pagodas, it will not be a solid brick structure, but with a spacious cave in which thousands of yogis can practice vipassana at the same time.

According to the World Vipassana Foundation, the pagoda will be a vehicle for the spread of Buddha’s teachings that emphatically opposes any sectarian, casteism and religious dogmas. His teachings have already proved to be an ideal bridge for peace, tolerance and harmony across all the communal and regional divides splintering India today.

The strongly secular nature of vipassana is further proved by its acceptance amongst people of all religions, nations, sects and socio-cultural backgrounds. Vipassana courses are taking root in even some of the staunchly sectarian countries. This monument will be an added focus of attraction to visitors and tourists worldwide, who visit our ancient country for its rich cultural traditions and its magnificent knowledge in the spiritual field. The sheer size, grandeur and architectural style of the pagoda itself will be sufficient to gain its entry into tourist maps. Even the tourists, who visit the pagoda, as merely another monument for sight seeing, will get great opportunity to receive the true teachings of the enlightened one, understand their benefits and may be inspired to follow the practical path of vipassana.
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Renderings of the pagoda:










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Construction progress:

First, some construction views from Google Earth:





Some construction photos from last year Ray Tomes @ flickr:


^ A smaller pagoda at the entrance to the complex










From zphoto @ flickr:

Before the dome was enclosed...




After...









Heading inside the stupa:













Some of the marble and gold inlaid murals that will adorn the walls of the structure...















Some of the large, colorful paintings that will also go on the walls...










Cheers,
Jai
 
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#3 ·
Images and text Copyright wobblyturkey
UPDATE: April 9



Without a doubt the highlight of my recent holiday in India was when I was given permission to visit the site of the Global Pagoda which is being constructed in Mumbai. I even had the opportunity to meditate in the main Pagoda while the workers were on their lunchbreak.





The Pagoda is being constructed, in the words of Mr SN Goenka, to be "an ideal bridge for peace, tolerence and harmony across all the communal and regional devides splintering India as well as the world today. The Global Pagoda will be a vehicle for the spread of the Buddha's true teaching that emphatically opposes any dogma based on sect, cast and religion".
Small Pagoda




For me, it was like being able to visit the site of the Great pyramids in Egypt, or the Taj Mahal, during their construction.





For more information on the Global Pagoda you can visit www.glogalpagoda.org and for information on Vipassana meditation you can visit www.dhamma.org.

May all beings be happy.





more images --> http://flickr.com/photos/51241911@N00/sets/72157604638089995/
 
#8 ·
1) This thing is amazing. I can't believe it actually got made. This is like the 5th enormous religious structure in India that people have tried to make, and this is the only one to actually get made.

2) how far is this "gorai" from mumbai city?

this was sposed to be completed by december 2007...im guessing spring 2009 now?
 
#13 ·
wow what a beautiful Temple in an island! is the location is dangerous? if an earthquake occur theres a possibility the temple may ruin or break down into pieces! hopefully may not happen in the future! good luck India!
 
#22 ·
So the idea of bulding this is two fold.
One; as a place for practicing meditators -like my lapsed self- to use and two:also as a way of attracting new people.
Does it work? A q? Anyone from this site been attracted to finding out more about Vipassana meditation?
 
#28 ·
Almost there... I am so much glad that even though these idiotic newspapers haven't been giving updates about this massive structure and there hasn't been any delay on this project.

Thanks Suncity for giving updates.
 
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