Set amidst the dense forests at the foothills of the Velliangiri Mountains, is the Dhyanalinga Yogic Temple, the first of its kind to be completed in over 2000 years. Created by a profound mystic and yogi, it embodies the distilled essence of yogic science.
This powerful meditative space does not ascribe to any particular faith or belief system nor does it require any ritual, prayer, or worship.
"Just sitting silently for a few minutes within the sphere of Dhyanalinga is enough to make even those unaware of meditation experience a state of deep meditativeness"
- Sadhguru
The " Dhyanlinga"
The energies of the Dhyanalinga have been consecrated to last for more than 5000 years without any dissipation.
The Architecture :
The elliptical dome that houses the Dhyanalinga is an engineering marvel of 76 feet in diameter and 33 feet high.
It was built without the use of any steel, cement, or concrete but with brick and mud mortar stabilized with lime, sand, alum and herbal additives. It's the only structure of its kind.
The simple technology used is this -- all the bricks are trying to fall down at the same time! But, the way the bricks are aligned and balanced, they can never fall. The nature of this design ensures a lifespan of at least 5000 years for the dome.
The "Dhyanlinga" Dome
It is said that " It was Sadhguru's wish that all the visitors to the temple be allowed directly into the garbhagriha or the sanctum sanctorum. As a result, the garbhagriha had to have a very large free spanning structure. Conventional buildings built of cement, steel and concrete were ruled out, as the life span of such structures is not expected to be beyond a hundred years.
Eventually, it was decided to build a dome using only traditional materials like burnt bricks, mud mortar stabilized with lime, sand, alum and some herbal additives. Huge blocks of granite were extensively used, eliminating steel and concrete.
Twenty-eight energy cubicles called the 'aura cells' are embedded in the inner wall. Each 'aura cell' is approximately 4' x 4' and provides an intimate space for a person to sit and meditate facing the Dhyanalinga.
The entire design was conceived by Sadhguru and executed by Bhramhachari engineers with the help of about 300 local unskilled laborers. Throughout the duration of the construction, a steady stream of dedicated volunteers participated in the construction in large numbers, taking time off from their work and family to participate in the making of this offering and it took 8 weeks to construct the dome!"
Dhyanlinga Construction:
It is said that " The dome, weighing about 700 tons, measures 33 ft from the ground level and has a diameter of 76 ft at the bottom. Approximately 250,000 bricks were used in making this dome, each of which had to be measured to the millimeter. The first course of brick starts at 13 degrees to the horizontal and the last course ends at an almost vertical angle of 82 degrees to the horizontal. The base of the dome is 20" thick and tapers off to 8" - the thickness of a single brick at the top.
Twenty-eight ventilators are placed on the top of the lintel beams with stone slabs arranged in the shape of the triangle. These triangular stone ventilators at the base of the Dome provide light and ventilation. The central opening is covered by a gold plated Linga-shaped copper dome, which blocks direct light and acts as a ventilator at the top. The copper Linga above the dome vents out hot air from the dome so that the cool air passes in through the vault and ventilators.
Since it was the first time ever that such a large structure was being raised without any form-work, ring-beams, steel or concrete, each aspect of the building had to be worked out afresh, researching and experimenting to derive a safe, viable and feasible methodology for each of the aspects. This often amounted to an interesting blend of ancient and locally available material and techniques.
Burnt bricks were placed in the elliptical shaped dome in positions determined precisely by modern mathematics and verified by computer calculations, granite slabs from traditional quarries went through modern gang saws for precise fitting. For the eighteen months it took to complete the temple from the foundation, the usually quiet and serene surroundings had been transformed into, among other things, a brick kiln and a granite quarry. For the eight weeks it took to construct the dome as such, it resembled a large anthill - hundreds of people going up and down, gradually accomplishing a mission much larger in size and importance than themselves.
The entire structure is a vision of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. The entire design was conceived by Sadhguru and executed by Bhramhachari engineers with the help of about 300 local unskilled laborers. Throughout the duration of the construction, a steady stream of dedicated volunteers participated in the construction in large numbers, taking time off from their work and family to participate in the making of this offering."
The Entrance:
Entrance to "Dhyanlinga" Parikrama.
There is a beautifull Poem written by Sadhguru at the entrance of the Dhyanlinga Parikrama.....
My only obsession
In my dreams and my wakefulness
My only longing was to fulfill you
Willing to do anything
That men should and should not
Willing to offer myself and
Another hundred lives if need be
Here now that you have happened
O Glorious One
May your Glory and Grace
Stir the sleeping hordes
Into wakefulness and light
Now that you have happened
And the gift of life still with me
And the gift of life still with me
What shall I do with myself
Have lived the peaks for too long
Time to graze the valleys of life
- Sadhguru
- Sadhguru
