Global Vipassana Pagoda
19°13′41″N 72°48′21.79″E / 19.22806°N 72.8060528°E
| Global pagoda | |
|---|---|
Global Vipassana Pagoda in 2012 | |
Interactive map of the Global pagoda area | |
| General information | |
| Type | Meditation Dome Hall |
| Architectural style | Burmese |
| Location | Gorai, Village, Borivali West, Mumbai |
| Construction started | 2000 |
| Completed | 2008 |
| Opened | 8 February 2009 |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Stone dome, with self-supporting interlocking stones |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects |
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| Structural engineer | Nandadeep Building Center (NPPCPL) Aurangabad M.S. |
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, and is also the main attraction in Gorai, in the north western part of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The Global Vipassana Pagoda is "declared as one of the ‘Seven Wonders of Maharashtra" by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) in partnership with ABP Majha, a Marathi news channel, after they reviewed 350 destinations. The results of this selection were declared on 6th June, 2013. The pagoda was inaugurated by Pratibha Patil, the then President of India, on 8 February, 2009. It is built on donated land on a peninsula between the 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), a 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 share information about Vipassana and about the Buddha and his teachings.
Vipassanā is the practical quintessence of the universal, non-sectarian teachings of the Buddha.
Its Burmese-style design shows gratitude to 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 by combining ancient Indian and modern technology to enable it to last for a thousand years.