The Best Things to Do in Auroville, India’s Self-Sustaining Community


Unlike the Matrimandir viewpoint, which is open to all, the Inner Chamber is designed solely for meditation, with strict guidelines to eliminate everyday distractions and any form of religious practice. The free experience begins with a brief orientation about Matrimandir, followed by 10 minutes of silence at the Lotus Pond to set the tone. Guests are then guided to the Inner Chamber, a white spherical room wrapped in silence, with a crystal globe at its center, illuminated by a single shaft of natural light from a small opening overhead. The atmosphere, intended to heighten focus, allows for 15 minutes of undisturbed meditation. Afterwards, guests are guided outside to spend time in the silent zone of the surrounding gardens. Bookings must be made at least a week in advance, and children below the age of 10 are not permitted.

Check out the sound garden at Svaram

Svaram  Sound Garden

Get ready to expand your definition of “musical instrument.”

Svaram

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All ages will love the sound installations.

Svaram

Svaram Sound Experience transforms materials like bamboo, stone, wood, and metal into musical instruments handcrafted by local Tamil artisans. Best experienced in the quiet of morning, the Sound Garden at Svaram is an outdoor sanctuary of musical installations that allow you to explore sound through touch. Place your hands on the granite Humming Stone to feel meditative vibrations, or rock the Ocean Drum to hear the surprising sound of rolling waves. For a sound healing experience, sign up for a 45-minute session at the Sonorium, an acoustically designed room with a range of musical instruments. Sink into the Nidranantar, a sound healing bed, close your eyes, and let a trained practitioner guide your mind into an alpha state through tuned vibrational sounds, activating the body’s self-healing response.

Rewild with Sadhana Forest

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Volunteering to rewild Sadhana Forest is a unique way to experience Auroville and give back.

Osher Shanti Rozin

Sadhana Forest is a slow rewilding mission working to reclaim 70 acres of parched terrain by resurrecting the fast-disappearing tropical dry evergreen forest. Volunteering here means leaning into seva, or selfless service, alongside a global crew, where days are spent planting native trees, shaping water catchments, maintaining living spaces, and cooking in a community kitchen.

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Take a walk through Sadhana Forest.

Osher Shanti Rozin

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All tables are communal in Auroville.

Osher Shanti Rozin

The lifestyle is both fun and sustainable, with mud pool play, workshops, cooking classes, and performances, vegan meals, staying in simple eco huts, and compost toilets. Join the community by volunteering for a minimum of four nights, taking a free guided tour, or attending their free Eco Film Club (no prior booking needed), which includes a farm tour, film screening, and a vegan dinner every Friday at 4:30pm.

Discover slow food at Solitude Farm

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Make a stop at Solitude Farm to learn how the community feeds itself through sustainable farming.

Solitude Farm