Ekam - The Oneness Temple

Ekam - The Oneness Temple is located in Varadaiahpalem, Andhra Pradesh, India.[1] It is on the grounds of the ashram of Kalki Bhagavan, a godman who claims to be the final and future avatar of the Hindu deity, Kalki.[2] The temple was inaugurated in April 2008,[3] and built at an estimated cost of $75 million.[4]

Ekam - The Oneness Temple
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
LeadershipWhite Lotus Conglomerate
Location
LocationVittaiah Palem, Chittor District
StateAndhra Pradesh
CountryIndia
Geographic coordinates13°35'49"N 79°59'49"E
Architecture
Architect(s)Prabhat Praddor
StyleShilpa Shastras, Vastu Shastra
Funded byNKV Krishna
Completed2008
Website
https://ekam.org

Architecture

Built in white marble, the temple is designed with stupas, spires, domes, ornate doors and latticed windows.[3] With its pillar-less meditation halls covering over 22,500 sq feet, largest of such halls in Asia, the temple is a symbol of modern engineering. The temple complex, designed to the Golden Ratio, has a span of 50 metres.[3]

The temple consists of three floors. Each floor is a large meditation hall. More than 8000 people can meditate together at the same time inside the temple. The halls at the ground and middle level are each a surface area of 6700m2. The hall at the top floor has a surface area of 2500m2. The height of the temple is 32.85m. The entire temple is built on a raised platform of 130m × 106m and surrounded by a moat of water bodies at the 4 corners.

The middle floor is called Artha Kama (Hall of desires and solving problems). The top floor is a pillarless meditation hall called Dharma Moksha, housing a solid gold ball of about 36 inches diameter, called the Golden Orb, which sits upon a throne.[5]

Oneness Temple was designed by Prabhat Poddar (architect from Auroville, Tamil Nadu) based on his studies in architecture, geobiology, and Vaastu Shastra at Sri Aurobindo’s ashram-related International Centre for Education in Puducherry.[3]

The temple is located in a wide open land beside the misty Eastern Ghats mountains.[3]

Controversies and media coverage

Kalki Bhagwan claimed that in 1995 he had inaugurated the Hindu Golden Age – which was to become realised in 2012 – but the claim was not well-received by the Hindu spiritual establishment.[6][7] He claimed that by the year 2012, inside the Oneness Temple, there would be between 5,000 and 8,000 people meditating at all times.[8] Subsequently, there was disappointment amongst many of his followers when the prophesies were not fulfilled.[9]

In October 2019, the temple was raided by Income Tax authorities as part of a large-scale investigation into guru Kalki Bhagwan and his White Lotus organization.[10]

In 2008, five people died during a stampede at the temple's inauguration, and more than 100 other people were injured in the rush for drinking water.[11]

During the 1990s, local people organised protests against the owners of the ashram for cheaply buying up hundreds of acres of land from local farmers. Subsequently, some of the farmers had their land returned to them.[12]

There has been media coverage of well-known visitors including Shilpa Shetty,[13] Manisha Koirala,[14] Hrithik Roshan,[15] Rakesh Roshan,[16] designer Donna Karan, musician Rick Allen, and NBA coach Pat Riley.[17]

Travel

The Oneness temple is located about 73 km from Chennai and 80 km from Tirupati. Located on the main highway connecting to Kalahasthi, the temple is well connected by bus facilities from Chennai and Tirupathi. The nearest international airport is 75 km in Tirupati. The nearest railway station is 8.7 km away at Tada.

Places of interest nearby
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References
  1. http://religion.info/english/documents/article_388.shtml#.VIPrK9bmCD4
  2. Cowan, Douglas E. (2 September 2009). "New Religious Movements". Oxford Handbooks Online. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195170214.003.0008.
  3. Religioscope - JFM Recherches et Analyses. "Religioscope: India: a visit to the Oneness Temple of Amma-Bhagwan". Religion.info. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  4. "India: a visit to the Oneness Temple of Amma-Bhagwan". Religioscope. 13 July 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  5. LEE, Vicky (26 July 2016). "The Huffington Post: Notes from Sri Bhagavan's Oneness Temple, India". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  6. Newcombe, Suzanne; Harvey, Sarah (15 April 2016). Prophecy in the New Millennium: When Prophecies Persist. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-07459-5.
  7. Townsend, R. Lataine (4 January 2012). 2013: Beginning an Era of Hope and Harmony. BalboaPress. ISBN 978-1-4525-4342-0.
  8. Roth, Ron; Montgomery, Roger (2007). The Sacred Light of Healing: Teachings and Meditations on Divine Oneness. iUniverse. ISBN 978-0-595-44896-8.
  9. "Oneness Movement – WRSP".
  10. Oct 18, U. Sudhakar Reddy | TNN |; 2019; Ist, 07:13. "I-T searches on properties of godman Kalki yield Rs 35 crore | Hyderabad News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 May 2020.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. "IT seizes Rs 33 cr from premises of godman Kalki Bhagwan and son". Hindustan Times. 18 October 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  12. "Mystic and the moolah". The Week. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  13. IANS (2 September 2009). "Shilpa Shetty in silent mode". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  14. Special Correspondent (24 November 2011). "Manisha Koirala prays at Kalki Ashram". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  15. "Hrithik off to a wellness course with his family : Celebrities, News - India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 7 September 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  16. ASHWINI DESHMUKH, MUMBAI MIRROR (5 September 2009). "Hrithik & family get spiritual on dad's b'day - Times Of India". Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  17. TNN (8 June 2008). "So, who's spiritual". The Times of India. "The Oneness University has attracted international celebs"

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