Nagaloka, Nagpur MEDITATION PAVILION Nagaloka is a sacred precinct for the search for enlightenment. * * * The Nagaloka Campus was conceived as a centre for Buddhist meditation and learning in central India. Situated on the outskirts of Nagpur, the campus has evolved over a period of time to include a Dhamma Hall, Library and Teaching Centre, Administration Building, Dharmashala, Multi-purpose Hall, monks’ communities and Meditation Pavilion. All are set around a large open space focused on a statue of Lord Buddha. The deer park at Sarnath, where the Buddha revealed the Sermon of the Turning of the Wheel, outlining the Fivefold Path, inspired the interior park of Nagaloka. It was created as an unstructured gathering space planted with shady trees. All of the structures at Nagaloka are of exposed brick, vaults of various types, long span concrete shells and Kota stone flooring. Concrete is honestly exposed and the roofs are of white China mosaic tiles. The Dhamma Hall [featured earlier on this site] is the main public meeting hall where the Buddhist triad of Buddha, dhamma and sangha are brought together. The hall is used for discourses, meditation and public gatherings. Hollow exposed brick bearing walls enclose three sides of the hall. Glass folding doors open out onto the large entrance pavilion, which is also sheltered by a twenty-meter long concrete shell. The Meditation pavilion is a much more humble Vihara for monks. Vihara, in Sanskrit, relates to wandering, or movement. As a verb it means to go around, contemplating, or retreating in a reclusive grove of trees or in a garden. In short it is a place of thought and isolation. Originally the monks wandered about India, and beyond, to propagate the wheel of law, or Dhamma. They walked alone or with a companion, settling into retreats during the monsoon. The Meditation Pavilion is, accordingly, completely surrounded by a high exposed brick wall, forming an interior secluded court. Like the Krishnayya House [see earlier presentations on this site], the structure is essentially one long wall that moves around to find the space and gift the light. There is a welcoming entry with low steps and an embracing wall; a vestibule or entrance; a “path” and a small entry foyer; and then there is a shrine area within. Moving in a circular pattern one looses their sense of direction. The need for orientation is replaced by the appearance of the Buddha image. The idol is placed along an axis in alignment with the portal, leading into a modest freestanding pavilion with no walls and surrounded by the garden wall. One vault is employed in the ceiling to emphasize this alignment, connecting the entry with the Buddha image. The gardens around the edge of the pavilion are open to the sky providing ample ventilation, natural light and a green ambience. The plan and the isometric reveal the simplicity, yet complexity, of this simple statement.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 19:46:32 +0000
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