5/5 Parul S. 1 year ago on Google
The
Global
Vipassana
Pagoda
is
a
Meditation
dome
hall
with
a
capacity
to
seat
around
8,000
Vipassana
meditators
(the
largest
such
meditation
hall
in
the
world)
near
Gorai,
north-west
of
Mumbai,
Maharashtra,
India.
The
pagoda
was
inaugurated
by
Pratibha
Patil,
then
President
of
India,
on
8
February
2009.
It
is
built
on
donated
land
on
a
peninsula
between
Gorai
creek
and
the
Arabian
Sea.
The
pagoda
is
to
serve
as
a
monument
of
peace
and
harmony.
The
Global
Vipassana
Pagoda
has
been
built
out
of
gratitude
to
Sayagyi
U
Ba
Khin
(1899
-
1971),
Vipassana
teacher
and
the
first
Accountant-General
of
Independent
Burma,
who
was
instrumental
in
Vipassana
returning
to
India,
the
country
of
its
origin.
Built
entirely
through
voluntary
donations,
the
purpose
of
the
Global
Vipassana
Pagoda
is
to:
1)
share
information
about
Vipassana,
and
2)
spread
information
on
Gotama
the
Buddha
and
his
teachings.
Vipassanā
is
the
practical
quintessence
of
the
universal,
non-sectarian
teachings
of
the
Buddha.[4]
Its
traditional
Burmese
design
is
an
expression
of
gratitude
towards
the
country
of
Myanmar
for
preserving
the
practice
of
Vipassana.
The
shape
of
the
pagoda
is
a
copy
of
the
Shwedagon
Pagoda
(Golden
Pagoda)
in
Yangon,
Myanmar.
It
was
built
combining
ancient
Indian
and
modern
technology
to
enable
it
to
last
for
a
thousand
years.
The
center
of
the
Global
Vipassana
Pagoda
contains
the
world's
largest
stone
dome
built
without
any
supporting
pillars.
The
height
of
the
dome
is
approximately
29
meters,
while
the
height
of
the
building
is
99.06
meters,
which
is
twice
the
size
of
the
previously
largest
hollow
stone
monument
in
the
world,
the
Gol
Gumbaz
Dome
in
Bijapur,
India.
The
external
diameter
of
the
largest
section
of
the
dome
is
97.46
m
and
the
shorter
sections
are
94.82m.
The
internal
diameter
is
85.15
m.[7]
The
inside
of
the
pagoda
is
hollow
and
serves
as
a
very
large
meditation
hall
with
an
area
covering
more
than
6000
m2
(65,000 ft2).
The
massive
inner
dome
seats
over
8000
people
enabling
them
to
practice
the
non-sectarian
Vipassana
meditation
as
taught
by
S.
N.
Goenka
and
now
being
practiced
in
over
100
countries.
An
inaugural
one-day
meditation
course
was
held
at
the
pagoda
on
21
December
2008,
with
Goenka
in
attendance
as
the
teacher.
Ten-day
vipassana
meditation
courses
are
held
free
of
charge
at
the
Dhamma
Pattana
meditation
center
that
is
part
of
the
Global
Vipassana
Pagoda
complex.
Planning
for
the
construction
of
the
Global
Vipassana
Pagoda
began
in
1997,
while
actual
building
work
started
in
2000.
The
pagoda
consists
of
three
sub-domes.
The
first
and
largest
dome
was
completed
in
October
2006
when
bone
relics
of
Gotama
Buddha
were
enshrined
in
the
central
locking
stone
of
the
dome
on
29
October
2006,
making
it
the
world's
largest
structure
containing
relics
of
the
Buddha.
The
relics
were
originally
found
in
the
stupa
at
Bhattiprolu,
Guntur
district,
Andhra
Pradesh,
South
India.
They
have
been
donated
by
the
Mahabodhi
Society
of
India
and
the
prime
minister
of
Sri
Lanka
to
be
kept
at
the
Global
Vipassana
Pagoda.
The
second
and
third
domes
sit
atop
the
first
dome.
Construction
of
the
third
dome
was
structurally
completed
on
21
November
2008.
The
Global
Vipassana
Pagoda
complex
is
an
evolving
construction.
A
museum
depicts
the
historical
life
and
non-sectarian
teaching
of
Gotama
the
Buddha.
The
Global
Vipassana
Pagoda's
educational
displays
communicate
the
Buddha's
teaching
of
the
universal
practice
of
Vipassana
as
a
path
towards
real
happiness.
The
Global
Vipassana
Pagoda
complex
consists
of
the
following
structures:
*
Pagoda
dome
containing
relics
of
the
Buddha.
The
pillar-less
structure
of
the
massive
Pagoda
dome
encompasses
a
meditation
hall
to
seat
around
8,000
Vipassana
meditators
-
the
largest
such
meditation
hall
in
the
world.
*
Vipassana
meditation
centre
Dhamma
Pattana
*
Museum
depicting
the
historical
life
of
the
Buddha
*
Two
smaller
pagodas
on
the
north
and
south
side
*
Library
and
study
rooms
*
Circumambulation
path
around
the
dome
*
Administration
building
*
Underground
parkade
*
Vipassana
Research
