History

Aurovilians have been reading Savitri together since the very earliest days. For several years in the late 1980s and early 1990s a group used meeting regularly under the great banyan tree at the centre of Auroville.

On November 24, 1994 the Auroville Savitri Study Circle was started. The circle met weekly in different locations, and in addition to Savitri reading they added study and discussion of the text, inviting guest speakers to give talks and share their insights.

Out of this study circle was born the dream of Savitri Bhavan - a place where all kinds of materials and activities for study, research and concentration on Sri Aurobindo's revelatory epic could be gathered and made available. A site was granted in the International Zone of Auroville, between the Bharat Nivas and the Matrimandir.

The Foundation Stone for the complex was laid by Nirodbaran, Sri Aurobindo's scribe for Savitri, at a ceremony attended by many well-wishers from the Ashram and Auroville, on November 24, 1995.
After the Foundation ceremony, the gatherings of the Study Circle were held under the trees on the site of the future complex. Later, construction of a temporary shelter on the site allowed a greater range of activities. It became possible to store books and other materials, and to hold a variety of classes in the evenings, in addition to the regular Sunday morning gatherings. The talks by guest-speakers became a regular monthly feature, and transport was provided for people from Pondicherry who wished to attend.

In May 1998, at the initiative of our team-member Dr. Beena Naik and with the support of her family in Gujarat, it was possible to organise a benefit performance in Navsari by Mme. Hema Malini and her troupe. This gave a great impetus to fundraising for the realisation of the complex planned to house Savitri Bhavan.

By September 1998 sufficient funds were available to start construction of a first phase of the complex: a multi-purpose hall, office, and archive/storage space, as a physical base for the further development of the Bhavan. The first brick ceremony took place on December 13, 1998.
This first phase building was completed by August 1999, and Nirodbaran performed the inauguration ceremony on August 8th. Since then the building has become the base for an ever-expanding programme of activities.
In June 2001, the 468 'Meditations on Savitri' paintings prepared by Huta under the guidance, instruction and inspiration of the Mother, were given into the care of Savitri Bhavan.
On November 24 2003 a simple ceremony was held to inaugurate construction of Savitri Bhavan Phase 2: a gallery to house and display these wonderful paintings.