Buddha Garden, which is tucked away in Auroville’s greenbelt in Tamil Nadu, serves as an example of how organic farming can be practised even on the most challenging of terrains. The delicious dishes prepared at several Auroville restaurants that provide organic food use the products from Buddha Garden.
Source: Pinterest
See also: What are the key attractions of Delhi’s Mughal Garden?
Buddha Garden: How to reach?
Since there are no direct transportation options from any city to Auroville, it is best to travel via Pondicherry or Chennai.
By air
The closest airport is in Chennai, which is around 140 km distant from Auroville.
By road
Bus service to Auroville is excellent from places including Chennai, Tiruvannamalai, Bengaluru, Chidambaram, and Ooty. Major Indian cities are easily accessible from Pondicherry.
By rail
It’s 14 km from the Puducherry Railway Station. From the train station, you can take a taxi or a car to get to Auroville. .
Buddha Garden: Attractions
Based on the amount of labour done in each region, the garden is split into zones.
Vegetable Gardens
The majority of agricultural activities take place in the Vegetable Gardens, which are situated in the core of Buddha Garden. This area, which is well shielded from grazing animals, produces a lot of vegetables in 4 separate gardens:
- The Souryan (Sun) Garden was the first to be established and features permanent climbing frames for climbers, raised beds with drip watering, and mulching. In order to increase productivity, the stewards, volunteers, and students work at Souryan Gardens on a daily basis.
- The Pryog (Research) Garden is a large vegetable farm that also features a large orchard with a variety of local food-producing species and informational boards about them. For those who are interested, interactive sessions are held.
- This area, known as Le Jardin (The Garden in French), features numerous movable raised vegetable beds made of brick and granite pillars. In this area, an orchard with irrigation has also been established.
- The seed garden where the majority of the seeds utilised in Buddha Garden are grown, which also includes a bed of pineapple plants.
Vaiyubhoomi: The land of air
The area of Buddha Garden known as Vaiyubhoomi, the land of the air, is where cashews as well as a number of fruit trees and long-term crops are naturally farmed. Following green manure regeneration, the area was removed from a eucalyptus tree grove. The natural beauty of the area is increased by fruit trees placed beside the cashews. The harvest of cashews takes place in April and May.
Jalabhoomi: The land of water
Three water retention lakes, a stone circle, a campfire area, and a few forest patches may be found in Jalabhoomi, the land of water. The end field—a 1.5-acre area with water retention ponds—used to flood in the monsoon season. It began as a solitary pond that quickly attracted wildlife and birds during the summer. This area has a fire circle, a bonfire area, and a stone of sanctity circle where meditations and rituals are conducted. To help with water retention and to stop soil erosion, a forest area has been built as a buffer zone surrounding the garden.
Shambala
Designed in 2015, this area features a sizable nursery and vegetable beds where crops like lettuce and roccolla are grown. The nursery aided in accelerating germination and offered young, delicate and sensitive seedlings protection until they were strong enough to survive on their own in the vegetable beds.
Source: Pinterest
FAQs
What is the mission and vision of the Buddha Garden?
For the Auroville community, the Buddha Garden's mission is to also grow food with love and understanding; food that nourishes every aspect of our being while using practices that support the land. The goal is to establish a financially successful, sustainable farm that also offers a location for adventure-sharing.
Can I stay there to experience the garden to its fullest?
Yes. Buddha Garden offers individuals the opportunity to be a part of their learning community by inviting them to stay on the farm. As an experiential learning process, volunteers can participate in all of the farm's activities for varying durations during their stay.
| Got any questions or point of view on our article? We would love to hear from you. Write to our Editor-in-Chief Jhumur Ghosh at [email protected] |
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