with Sri Ganesh

He and his wife proceeded to do just that and needless to add when the temple was built he was completely cured of his problem. In 1965, when the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram wanted to launch the project of Auroville, She initiated the purchasing of land. The first plot, a 60 acre piece of land, which became available for sale happened to be the land of Sri Balasubramania Iyer including the Ganesh temple. He had agreed to sell this land but wished to withhold the temple plot. When informed, Mother inquired of him the reason for his reluctance. He expressed doubts as to whether “puja” to the deity would be maintained if he sold the land. The Mother, thus, gave a personal assurance that the puja would go on but She insisted She wanted the temple plot….” Corroborating the above is a document signed by Navajata, the then Chairman of the Sri Aurobindo Society, the legal body formed by Mother (She was the President) in order to, among other tasks, acquire all the land needed for Auroville, which reads thus: “28-3-65 Ma, We have purchased, under the Auroville project, a sixty acre plot with well, pump, trees, a temple (of Ganesh), a small outdoor house, etc. for Rs. 65000/-; out of this 20000/- are to be paid now and 45000/- after 6 months. The agreement is to be signed today. The sellers want in writing an undertaking from us that though the temple will be the Mother’s property, we will maintain it and permit people to do Puja. If the Mother approves we will accept this. Pranams. Nava. (300 mango trees About 1000 palm trees Mango Cashew Nut trees)” On the top margin of the letter, Amrita, the Mother’s secretary, wrote: “The Mother said ‘All right, this includes the Ganesh Temple’. Amrita 29-3-65” (It is remarkable to note that this agreement was given on the 29 th of March – a day of utmost importance in the sadhana of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother as it was the day They first met physically, in 1914, that is, 51 years earlier, in Pondicherry)

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