MAITHRI SAGAR ASHRAM IN GOLLAHALLI

In a village called Gollahalli, which is in the Kolar district east of Bangalore , an Ashram community was started by Sr. Celestine, who belongs to the sisters of ‘St Joseph of Tarbes’. The actual community headed by Sr. Celestine only came about after she retired as the Regional Superior in 1987. But during the period 1983-86 the Ashram gradually took shape under the leadership of Sr. Jude, as a centre for local leaders to reflect on the problems facing those who were once the workers in the gold mines.
Sr. Celestine met Caroline Mackenzie when she was the Regional Superior staying in a convent in Mysore from 1982-87. At this time Caroline was living in Melkote, and was also designing a series of wood carvings representing the stations of the Cross for Anjali Ashram. It was during this period that Caroline was thinking of being baptized into the Catholic Church, and so she asked Sr. Celestine to be her godmother.
In the autumn of 1982, Fr. Claude De Souza sj, asked me and Caroline to help design the prayer hall, and also the main Ashram building at the Maithri Sagar Ashram. Fr. Claude was at that time in charge of the Ashirvad centre in Bangalore, committed to inter faith dialogue. Earlier he had been thee national chaplain of the All India Catholic University Federation, when I first met him in 1975, and had worked with him on the design for a chapel in the Chennai centre for AICUF. Fr. Claude had encouraged Sr. Celestine to start an experimental Ashram not far from the Kolar Gold fields, which was where she had been brought up as a child, her parents having come from Tamilnadu to work in the gold field area. She and Sr. Jude, were both from this community of Tamil people many of whom had been brought as indentured labourers to work in the mines which had been managed by the British since the mid nineteenth century.
In fact the mines celebrated their centenary in 1980, and by then they were already more or less defunct, as the shafts which were the deepest in Asia, no longer yielded the rich gold ore which had been in the hay day of the Kolar gold fields around 1920. Thinking about the history of those who worked in often appalling conditions in the mines, the exodus story of the Old Testament came to mind. There Moses had struggled to free his people from their state of forced labour, and bring them out of Egypt into what he envisioned as a “promised land”. In this journey the people encountered many difficulties, and were often despairing. They were led, however, by a pillar of fire which showed the way to liberation. Primal images from this exodus event were taken as symbols for the pillared hall or ‘mandapam’ that was designed as a meditation space at the heart of the Ashram. Sr. Celestine had shared her dream of understanding the link between contemplation, and action. She spoke of the link between God, Nature, and the human community. This seemed to be also the basis for an understanding of the triangular structure.
The conditions under which the workers in these gold mines had to labour was very close to what is understood by the term “bonded labour” in that the workers were paid a lump sum, and not a regular salary. Also because of a complicated system of indebtedness, the labourers were never able to free themselves from being bonded to the work force. Though this system of bonded labour was officially abolished in 1976, the system continued to enslave people who had no other means of livelihood well into the eighties. It was this condition that made Fr. Claude particularly interested in the plight of people who had been bonded in this way to contractors and landlords in this once very prosperous district that grew up around the gold mines.

ASHRAM MANDALA

Sister Jude was the first to move to this village of Gollahalli, and to start the work of what came to be known as the Sunanda Trust, which led to the acquisition of about 24 acres of land, on which the Maithri Sagar Ashram was established. The twelve acres of land on which the Ashram buildings came up, were very rocky. The architect Mr. Hulliyappa from Bangalore created the working designs for the buildings, based on sketches drawn by jyoti Sahi, for whom the Ashram space was imagined as a pattern of interlocking triangles.. The first two buildings, one for living in, and the other for a meditation space and inter-faith activities, were constructed on a plan of triangles.

My studies on the structure of temples in India, had led me to the understanding of sacred space as based on the Mandala. The Mandala patterns that we find in India, like in the floor designs that are made in front of Indian homes, relate to concepts that go back to designs used in meditation, as developed in Buddhis, Jaina and Hindu schools of Yoga.

CONCEPT OF ASHRAM MEDITATION CENTRE

The concept behind the ground plan of the meditation centre was the Mandala structure known as the Sri Yantra, which is basically created by two overlapping triangles, thus forming what is sometimes called the Star of David, or in India, the Star of Lakshmi. This pattern is often the basis for the Rangoli or Kolam designs made by village women on the doorstep of the home. The design is thought to be auspicious, and to invite the Divine Mother into the home.
The Hexagonal structure on which the Sri Yantra is based, comprises a number of triangles which inter penetrate each other. Besides the star form where two triangles completely overlap, there is also the design of two triangles which only touch each other at their apex, creating a form which is like the traditional drum or dhumaroo, which folk singers use to keep time. In fact this drum also reminds one of the shape of the ancient hour glass. It is thought to both symbolize time, but also the human body, as we find in many tribal images where the upper part of the body is represented as a triangle whose apex points down, and the lower part of the body is a triangle whose apex points up. Another important form which we find in folk art is the diamond, or lozenge shape, where two equilateral triangles share a common base, though pointing in opposite directions. These forms are both dynamic, but also balanced. They seem to symbolize both rest and movement.

Symbols on Pillars

A PILLARED HALL

The Mandappam structure is typical of pillared halls in Hindu temples. This allows for the open, free flow of air. To enclose the space jail patterns are used in windows, and also metal grills are used for larger spaces, so that the inner space can be closed when not in use.
The symbolism of the pillar, or Sthamba, is very important in sacred architecture. Not only does it support the roof, but it also represents the axis mundi. The pillar is often designed as a series of Mandalas, which are carved on the square faces of cubes placed one above the other. Caroline designed a series of primal forms related to the symbolism of the journey of the Hebrew peoples towards the Promised Land, which also relate to the basic language of symbolism that can be found in Indian myths. In this way she indicated that there is underlying all archetypal forms, a fundamental understanding of a process towards inner growth and liberation.
Caroline Mackenzie designed a series of symbolic images which were carved by local craftspeople on the pillars of the Meditation Centre. She writes:
“There are pillars around a central pond and thee devotee can circumambulate the area, passing the symbols carved on the pillars which “tell” the Exodus story. These images include the seed, tree, egg and so on. One gets the idea of the whole of nature being bonded and God intervening and leading ‘her’ towards freedom. Lest we should fear too much our involvement in this work, the story of the reluctant prophet Jonah is depicted on the doorway.”

The Door of the Meditation Centre

JONAH and the WHALE

The story of Jonah is very significant in that it shows the prophetic figure as emerging out of the enclosed space of the Whale’s body, to be born again in a land where the Prophet is sent to witness to the Divine Word, and call people to change their way of life. The element of Water, and the symbol of the fish is found in Indian mythology, the fish being associated with Makara, which literally means “That which does with its mouth...’Ma’---‘kara’ “ This image of the Water monster can also be understood as linked to the Biblical creature known as Leviathan, which inhabits the depths.

The Pool at the Centre of the Meditation Space.

At the centre of the Mandala of Sacred Space is the Pool which has plants around it, and a lotus at its centre. Here the pool is designed as itself triangular. The pool is open to the sky, and can also be understood as an eye which looks up to the heavens, reflecting the light of the sun.

THE TABERNACLE SETTING.

Caroline Mackenzie who designed the Tabernacle setting in Maitri Sagar Writes:
An example of masculine and feminine symbolism at the centre of sacred space is to be found at Maitri Sagar.
“In this example the “masculine” element is provided by the pillar of fire. This is symbolized as a stone pillar with a flame on top and seven oil lamps each side. In the centre is the tabernacle. On the door there is an annunciation scene where Mary accepts the message of the fiery angel. The idea is to focus on God’s involvement in the process of liberation. Thus the pillar of fire is a symbol to guide the Israelites and the angel shows Mary her destiny in the process of liberation. Both the pillar and the angel are accepted in faith.
In the Maitri Sagar sanctuary the tabernacle is set into the pillar so that it is at eye level for someone squatting on the floor. Meditation practices such as the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament can be done in this setting in a meaningful way. Because it is the custom to sit on the ground, one is very much aware of the earth. The Western tradition has stressed the notion of the divine descending from above, entering from outside. In the East there is more of an equal focus on above and below. Just as the pillar rises out of the earth, so the lotus flower grows up out of the muddy water. This is an obvious symbol for the integration of below and above, or dark and light”
(‘Cosmic awareness and Sacred Space: The integration of Feminine symbolism in Indian Christian art and architecture’ by Caroline Mackenzie)