Maharishi Sthapatya Veda
Encyclopedia
Maharishi Sthapatya Veda (MSV) is a set of architectural and planning principles assembled by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
based on "ancient Sanskrit texts" Maharishi Sthapatya Veda architecture is also called "Maharishi Vastu" architecture, "Fortune-Creating" buildings and homes, and "Maharishi Vedic architecture".
MSV has strict rules governing the orientation and proportions of a building. The most important factor is the entrance, which must be either due east or due north. The MSV architect also considers the slope and shape of the lot, exposure to the rising sun, location of nearby bodies of water and the other buildings or activities in the nearby environment. MSV emphasizes the use of natural or "green" building materials.
MSV homes are marketed in the US by Maharishi Global Construction, LLC, and by MSV Homes in the UK, both arms of the Transcendental Meditation movement
. Several communities around the world have been developed using MSV principles. The plans for Peace Tower, which would have been the world's tallest building, followed MSV specifications.
, building a home according to the principles of MSV "connects the individual intelligence of the occupant of the house to the cosmic intelligence of the universe". Proponents of MSV say its basis is in the Vedas
, 5,000 year old Sanskrit texts that assert a connection between human health and building materials, orientation to the movements of the sun and spatial relationships. According to Lipman, Vedic architecture and feng shui
have a common root, but MSV is more scientific, while feng shui has superstitious elements. Lipman says that MSV is derived from "lost and misunderstood" principles, natural law, "whereby the entire universe is created: galaxies, planets, human beings" along with buildings and cities.
Craig Pearson, Executive Vice President of Maharishi University of Management
(MUM), says that spending time in buildings that follow these principles makes one smarter. Proponents say that MSV homes have escaped wildfires that burned neighboring homes, and that businesses located in MSV office buildings have greater profit and lower absenteeism. Residents of MSV homes in Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
say they felt vitality, calm and happiness when they moved into their Vedic houses. A mother says that her boys are more orderly. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi has said, "Living in a proper vastu can eliminate 60 to 80 percent of the problems we encounter in life." Peter Warburon, Raja of England, says that the practice of the Maharishi’s Vedic peace technologies is more powerful with Vastu buildings. Yale University architecture professor Keller Easterling
says that MSV is fueled by a desire to create outposts for broadcasting the Maharishi Effect.
Maharishi Sthapatya Veda is considered to be an element of the Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health, and the main modality of MVAH for improving the immediate environment.
MSV planning and building takes into account the effects of the sun, moon, planets and stars, and also using the poles and the equator as reference points. Its measurements and proportions are said to be calculated in reference to proportions of the human physiology and the cosmos, and in harmony with nature.
, whose literal translation is "establish wholness". The Brahmasthan is a central space "lit by a skylight" that serves as a "silent core" and is "never walked on". The Brahmastan is said to act as the "nucleus" or axis point for the structure like the nucleus of a cell or an atom.
Other features include a perimeter designation called a vastu fence. This boundary line may consist of shrubs or a metal, stone or wood fence. It is ideally about 30 feet (9.1 m) away from the front back of the building and eight feet away from the sides. Another feature is a "small, golden, roof ornament" or cupola
, called a kalash
, which one MSV architect says improves the connection between the residents and heaven. A defined plinth is another standard element. Color is also covered by MSV.
(variously styled as Minister of Vedic Architecture, Minister of Architecture providing Fortune-Creating Homes, and Minister of Global Reconstruction). He is the chair of the department of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda at Maharishi Vedic University in Vlodrop, Holland. Among his designs is the Maharishi Tower of Invincibility on the Fairfield, Iowa
, campus of Maharishi University of Management
.
Jonathan Lipman is director of Fortune-Creating Buildings and chief architect of Maharishi Global Construction (MGC). He is Director of Vedic Architecture for the GCWP in America and Deputy Minister of Architecture for the world. He is Maharishi University of Management's campus architect, an adjunct faculty member, and Director of the Institute of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda. Lipman reports having designed "nearly a dozen" office buildings as well as "hundreds of homes" using the MSV principles. His designs include Tower II, the largest MSV building to date.
Henry Clark (deceased) was an architect at MGC. He was vice president of Maharishi Heaven on Earth Development Corp
. He was the chief architect and planner of the Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
. He also taught at MUM.
In 1995 the MGDF purchased a vacant hotel in Hartford, Connecticut for $1.5 million dollars. Later, the building was for sale at asking prices ranging from $5 to $17 million. After being vacant for more than 15 years, the building sold in 2011 for $500,000.
MSV principles were mandated in the platform of the Maharishi's "Invincible India Party" (Ajeya Bharat Party). In 1998, it called for an overhaul of building laws to require all new buildings to comply with MSV. One month after its 2001 founding, the Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
, the council passed a resolution saying that city planning should be in accord with MSV principles.
A 2000 document from the Maharishi Global Development Fund outlines a proposed method for cities to transition to Vastu buildings. The first phase is "controlling the expansion of the city by establishing a masterplan with parallel roads in east/west, north/south directions". The second phase is "construction of ideal villages and satellite towns around the city, free from pollution". The third is "starting to demolish congested areas in the city center, replacing them with beautiful gardens, parks and fountains". The fourth is "final stage of the expanded garden city, providing ideal living conditions, including a modern communication and transportation system".
The Maharishi said that "improperly oriented" building should be demolished, including the White House
and the U.N. Building
. He is quoted as saying that national leaders should vacate inauspicious buildings immediately, "as if an earthquake had hit them". In 2001, he ordered numerous TM centers around the world to close due to inauspicious locations. In 2005, the Maharishi told "everyone in the world to live and work in buildings constructed according to Sthapatya Veda or Vastu architecture". He said then that he would no longer talk or deal with any member of the TM community unless they lived in Vastu structures.
He designated 2006 as the "Year of Reconstruction for the Whole World to be Heaven on Earth". The following year he included reconstruction in his seven-point plan for creating "invincibility for every nation". According to the Maharishi, "All the problems of the world will go away with our Global Reconstruction Programme". The elements of the world reconstruction program, as they appeared in movement newsletter in 2005, includes buildings such as:
.
According to a 2005 article in the American Airlines
magazine, American Way, "hundreds" of homes using MSV principles have been built across the U.S.A. including Wyoming, Iowa, Texas, Kentucky, Florida, North Carolina and Maryland. The article says that "a growing legion of architects and scholars" believe that by using the principles of MSV, good health and fortune can be incorporated into a home or building. That same year, an article in Newsweek
magazine reported that there had been $500 million in "new Vedic construction" during the prior ten year period.
A 2008 Washington Post article reports that there are MSV buildings in at least 14 states in the US.
, the structure has been named the "greenest building in Maryland", achieving a "platinum ranking" in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED), rating system. The "Fortune Creating Architectural/Vedic-designed office building" was developed by Lerner Enterprises and the Tower Companies and designed by Jonathan Lipman. It was the subject of a Harvard Business School case study. The building is one of a handful of MSV structures in the Washington, D.C., area. Jeffrey Abramson, a partner in the family-owned Tower Companies, is a long-time TM practitioner and the chairman of the board of trustees of Maharishi University of Management
. According to Abrahamson "The human brain reacts to space" and by using proper proportions a space can be created in which people can succeed and thrive.
for Maharishi Ayur-Ved Products International Inc. (MAPI). MAPI imports and distributes Maharishi Ayurveda herbal supplements. Every detail of the building, including the placement of the desks, is intentional. There are no fluorescent lights
, but windows and skylights are plentiful. When completed in 1997 at a cost of about $3 million, it was considered to be one of only 75 MSV buildings in the US.
The Maharishi Foundation purchased the 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) former St. Ludwig College Franciscan monastery at Vlodrop
in the Netherlands
in 1984. In 1990, it became the Maharishi's headquarters and residence. Demolition of the monastery, which was declared a national monument, encountered resistance from local leaders. The Maharishi Foundation was enjoined from continuing and, despite lawsuits, it has not succeeded in getting rid of the large building. New buildings have been built around it. The main building is the Maharishi's palace. It is the largest wooden structure in the country and was built without using any nails, at "vast expense". About the building, the Maharishi is reported to have said that, "the walls of this celebrated building"..."in no way enclose his unbounded cosmic awareness". The building is a tourist attraction, though security is tight. As of 2006, about 50 followers of the Maharishi live on the property in temporary huts. A 2007 press release says that 12 Raja palaces have been constructed on the site.
, the architect of the World Trade Center
towers, to design the world's tallest building. Called "The Centre of India" or the "Vedic Vishwa Prashasan", the 160-story, 2,222' (675.5m) tall building would have been considerably higher than the 1,483' Petronas Towers, then the tallest building in the world. The layered, pyramid-shaped building
would be decorated ornately, with arches and columns, like a Hindu or Vedic temple. The base would be 339 meters square, about 11.5 hectares. Priced at $2.5bn, it would have been large enough to hold 60,000 or 100,000 meditators. The foundation stone was laid on November 6, 1998 at the Brahmasthan of India. The elaborate, three-hour ceremony was attended by dignitaries, including representatives from ten countries, and 2,000 local villagers. No specific completion date was given. As of 2010, the Indian tower was still described in news reports as an active project.
In May 1999, the Maharishi Global Development Fund announced that it would build a 1,630' (510m), 103-story tower in downtown Sao Paulo
, Brazil. The 60/40 partnership with Brasilinvest
, a private development company, had a budget of £1.65 billion or $2bn. The Maharishi Global Development Fund would provide $500 million directly and underwrite the rest of it obligation. Proponents said it would improve a run-down area near city hall, dubbed "cracktown", and restore civic pride. Skeptics questioned the need for the office and commercial space, the carrying capacity of the infrastructure, its location in a flood plain, the Maharishi's finances, and the overall viability of such a large project.
Its floor space, 1.3m sq m, would have been larger than the seven-building World Trade Center complex and almost twice as large as The Pentagon
. Redesigned as a more conventional glass-sheathed skyscraper, one writer described it as a "giant saltcellar" with a hollow core. The project was slated to have a convention center, four hotels, a university, and apartments. It would have had a monorail stop and underground parking for 25-100,000 cars. Mario Garnero
, head of Brasilinvest, said, "This isn't just a building, it's a city." In October 1999, it was announced that the project had the support of the mayor and governor. The land cost, $122 millions, would be split between investors and the city. It was to be paired with another project, the Transworld Complex, that would have a conference center, a golf course, and a theme park on 150 acre (0.607029 km²). Construction was predicted to begin January 2000. In November 2000, it was announced that the plan was being dropped due to government opposition.
The Peace Tower plan was moved to a 329 acres (1.3 km²) property in The Colony, Texas
, a suburb of Dallas, renamed "Global Centre", and rebudgeted at $3bn. The Federal Aviation Administration
was concerned about the effect on air traffic and the project did not receive planning approval. The FBI investigated conflicts of interest allegations when the former mayor of the city was hired by the Maharishi's company.
Maharishi Development Project's Peter Swan announced plans in August 2000 for a tower at a site next to Alexandra, Gauteng
, Johannesberg
, South Africa. The 270-hectare property had been sold to the project by the University of the Witwatersrand
after it found the soil was unsuitable for housing. Towers were also proposed for each of the 24 time zone
s.
(MUM) is building new structures that follow MSV principles to replace 40 demolished buildings on their campus. Most of the buildings on campus are now compliant with some or all MSV principles, including Dreier Building (the first MSV building on campus), Argiro Student Center, and two Peace Palaces.
The Sustainable Learning Center (SLC), designed by Lipman, is being built to the highest LEED
standards.
, the first MSV building in Japan, was designed like an ancient Japanese palace and is reported to be the country's largest wooden structure. Comprehensive Blood & Cancer Center (CBCC), a 27000 square feet (2,508.4 m²) medical center, designed by Lipman, has been constructed in Bakersfield, California
. Ravi Patel, the founder of the CBCC, is a trustee of the Maharishi University of Management.
which epitomizes the idea that the personal and communal practice of TM brings a sense of well-being. As the center of the Global Country of World Peace
, Easterling says that it reflects the GCWP's interest in achieving a "benign form of global sovereignty".
. The developers, Earl and David Kaplan, had purchased a total of 7000 acres (28.3 km²) by 1993 and developed a portion of the land between 1996 and 1998. Several years later, Kaplan "sold most of the land for the Laurelmor development".
A part of the development became the Spiritual Center of America (SCA), a TM-related, non-profit, owned by Upper Blue Mountain Holdings LLC, which is reported to be controlled by Kaplan's extended family, took up 500 acres (2 km²) and included a state-accredited university offering degrees in "consciousness-based studies". SCA became the home for the Purusha (men) and Mother Divine (women) groups which practice the TM and TM-Sidhi programs in monastic settings. The groups had separate campuses, built to MSV and Underwriters Laboratories
codes. SCA failed to gain an exemption from county taxes after a 2003 state Supreme Court ruling that the facility did not qualify as an "educational, scientific or charitable institution".
One thousand acres (4 km²) were set aside for development as a luxury resort by the for-profit Heavenly Mountain, with over a hundred lots for sale. A 2006 article in the High Country Press reported that a premium on the home prices helped to fund the SCA. The project was controversial in the area until Kaplan reached out to the community. However Kaplan, a Purusha group member who left the group to marry, broke away from the movement in 2004 and decided to develop the land commercially. The SCA was evicted in 2006. Some home buyers were upset about being evicted and filed lawsuits and as of 2006, 44 condos and homes were still occupied.
According to a TM organization web site, the Mother Divine group had secured a residence and site for the Maharishi University of Enlightenment at the Heavenly Mountain location. The facilities, called East Campus, were described as rooms and suites for about 200 females, along with dining and lecture halls, totaling almost 300000 square feet (27,870.9 m²) of indoor space. The purchase price was estimated by Bevan Morris
, Prime Minister of the GWCP, to be one-seventh of the cost for new construction. The remaining 381 acres and 26 buildings of the Heavenly Mountain facility were sold for $6.35 million in 2011 to Blue Ridge Preservation Inc., who intend to work with the Art of Living Foundation and related groups.
in 2009. This followed the Maharishi's call in 2007 to immediately establish a Purusha capital in the Blue Ridge Mountains
, according to the Purusha website. It is in the Three Churches
area of Hampshire County, West Virginia
near Romney
. The property will be designated a Global Capital and will include a palace for the Maharaja and residences for the Raja of Invincible America and the Prime Minister. Accommodations for 150-200 people, including 120 professional meditators, are being constructed. The Purusha website mentions the advantages of having as many as 800 "administrators of Global Raam Raj" so close to the nation's capital. The buildings are planned to be built to Vastu and LEED standards. The land cost $750,000 and the construction is budgeted to cost between $10 and $15 million. Bob LoPinto, the Raja of Potomac Vedic America (regional director), is overseeing the project. A nearby but separate medical center or spa is also being considered.
In February 2008, MSV Homes submitted plans to build a £2 million, three-story, 33-bedroom Peace Palace in Rendlesham, Suffolk. It would be part of the 30-home, 24-apartment Maharishi Peace Colony. The plans were approved two months later, despite community concerns. The building will replace a center in Badingham that was used for 25 years.
(center point) of India is near Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh
. The site has MSV housing for thousands of pandits who perform Vedic chant
s. The MSV design is said to amplify the power of their peace-promoting rituals. The project is overseen by Girish Varma, one of the Maharishi's nephews. A series of "parliaments", including the "Maharishi Parliament of World Peace in the field of culture and religion", was held there in 2006, according to a movement press release. A documentary filmmaker snuck into the facility in 2009 and found, in the words of Variety
, a "ghost town". In 2010, a press release announced plans for new residential and visitor facilities, including 30 western-style suites.
, the geographic center of the contiguous United States
. The County Commission initially passed a development moratorium to block the project but changed their decision after being threatened with a federal lawsuit. In regard to the local opposition, Eric Michener, the project coordinator for the GCWP, told a reporter, "I don't think we've run into this vibrant level of misunderstanding before". The group failed to receive an endorsement from the county commission when it sought a $38 million tax-exempt bond from the state. One palace is near completion and several others are in various stages of progress. In April 2010, a local newspaper reported that there was no activity on the site.
that would be designed with Vedic principles. Three model homes were approved, out of a total of 90 planned, and the houses were estimated to cost $988,000 each. The 39 acres (157,827.5 m²) property went into foreclosure and was sold in 2010.
in 2005, a Washington Post reporter said that "non-adherents" may find the principles "eccentric, to say the least," as houses not facing east or north are said by MSV adherents to be "practically begging inauspicious forces to sweep in and wreak havoc." The reporter goes on to say that many architects would not "quibble" with other components of MSV such as "balance and symmetry", a vastu fence or wall and "solar influenced" placement of rooms in the home.
Los Angeles Times
travel writer Carina Chocano writes that Maharishi Vedic City "displays all the architectural characteristics of a new exurban development: gaudy, oversize construction that has no stylistic relation to its environment but instead vaguely alludes to a theme-park version someplace sort of magical and far away."
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , born Mahesh Prasad Varma , developed the Transcendental Meditation technique and was the leader and guru of the TM movement, characterised as a new religious movement and also as non-religious...
based on "ancient Sanskrit texts" Maharishi Sthapatya Veda architecture is also called "Maharishi Vastu" architecture, "Fortune-Creating" buildings and homes, and "Maharishi Vedic architecture".
MSV has strict rules governing the orientation and proportions of a building. The most important factor is the entrance, which must be either due east or due north. The MSV architect also considers the slope and shape of the lot, exposure to the rising sun, location of nearby bodies of water and the other buildings or activities in the nearby environment. MSV emphasizes the use of natural or "green" building materials.
MSV homes are marketed in the US by Maharishi Global Construction, LLC, and by MSV Homes in the UK, both arms of the Transcendental Meditation movement
Transcendental Meditation movement
The Transcendental Meditation movement is a world-wide organization, sometimes characterised as a neo-Hindu new religious movement, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1950s...
. Several communities around the world have been developed using MSV principles. The plans for Peace Tower, which would have been the world's tallest building, followed MSV specifications.
Principles and effects
According to Maharishi Global Construction (MGC) in Fairfield, IowaFairfield, Iowa
Fairfield is a city and the county seat of Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,464 in the 2010 census, a decline from 9,509 in the 2000 census. - History :...
, building a home according to the principles of MSV "connects the individual intelligence of the occupant of the house to the cosmic intelligence of the universe". Proponents of MSV say its basis is in the Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
, 5,000 year old Sanskrit texts that assert a connection between human health and building materials, orientation to the movements of the sun and spatial relationships. According to Lipman, Vedic architecture and feng shui
Feng shui
Feng shui ' is a Chinese system of geomancy believed to use the laws of both Heaven and Earth to help one improve life by receiving positive qi. The original designation for the discipline is Kan Yu ....
have a common root, but MSV is more scientific, while feng shui has superstitious elements. Lipman says that MSV is derived from "lost and misunderstood" principles, natural law, "whereby the entire universe is created: galaxies, planets, human beings" along with buildings and cities.
Craig Pearson, Executive Vice President of Maharishi University of Management
Maharishi University of Management
Maharishi University of Management , formerly known as Maharishi International University, is a non-profit, American university, located in Fairfield, Iowa. It was founded in 1973 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and features a "consciousness-based education" system that includes the practice of the...
(MUM), says that spending time in buildings that follow these principles makes one smarter. Proponents say that MSV homes have escaped wildfires that burned neighboring homes, and that businesses located in MSV office buildings have greater profit and lower absenteeism. Residents of MSV homes in Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
Maharishi Vedic City is a city in Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The city was first incorporated in 2001 as "Vedic City" but then officially changed its name to "Maharishi Vedic City" five months later. It was the first city to incorporate in Iowa since 1982...
say they felt vitality, calm and happiness when they moved into their Vedic houses. A mother says that her boys are more orderly. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi has said, "Living in a proper vastu can eliminate 60 to 80 percent of the problems we encounter in life." Peter Warburon, Raja of England, says that the practice of the Maharishi’s Vedic peace technologies is more powerful with Vastu buildings. Yale University architecture professor Keller Easterling
Keller Easterling
Keller Easterling is an American architect, urbanist, writer, and teacher. She earned both her B.A. and M.Arch from Princeton University and has taught architectural design and history at Parsons The New School for Design, Pratt Institute, and Columbia University. She is currently Associate...
says that MSV is fueled by a desire to create outposts for broadcasting the Maharishi Effect.
Maharishi Sthapatya Veda is considered to be an element of the Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health, and the main modality of MVAH for improving the immediate environment.
Siting
Auspicious locations have water to the east or north. If water is in an inauspicious location then it can be balanced with fountains on the north side. Items in the nearby environment that generate electro-magnetic fields, such as high tension wires and microwave towers, are avoided. The slope, if any, should be towards the east, and there should be no obstructions that block the sun's first rays.Orientation
The principles of orientation in Maharishi Sthapatya Veda are based on the position of the sun, considered by MSV to be the most powerful natural influence on Earth. Aligning a structure with the rising sun (facing east) is considered by MSV adherents to be auspicious for the building's inhabitants and to be "spiritually healthy." According to the principles of MSV, the other three cardinal directions also have their corresponding influences. For example, homes with entrances facing west invite "poverty, lack of creativity and vitality," and "anxiety, depression, bad luck and even criminal tendencies." According to the MSV official website, the north direction has the influence of prosperity and happiness and the south direction has the influence of negativity, problems and suffering. Proper orientation is also said to increase business productivity.Placement
When a house for a particular individual is being designed using MSV principles, the placement of the building and its rooms are carefully planned according to their intended usage and the influence of the sun as it moves throughout the day. Rooms are placed to "take in the sun's light as it passes overhead." Windows and skylights are also used to allow as much natural sunlight as possible to enter the building. An aspect of MVS called "Vastu Vidya" determines the places in the building that are used for generating and storing natural elements like fire and water, heating and plumbing. Bathroom fixtures such as sinks and mirrors also have a particular placement according to MSV rules; for example, toilets must face south. Kitchens and dining rooms should be on the east side, and offices on the west. Beds should face north or northeast. MSV commercial buildings are often designed as linear "bar buildings" to offer the most east-facing exposure.Proportion
MSV says that symmetry is orderly and helps to coordinate the various aspects of a structure, and that there is an ideal proportion for every room in a home or office. Also, the length, width and elevation of the building are calculated using the ancient Vedic mathematical formulas and requires a level of construction precision to one-eighth of an inch.MSV planning and building takes into account the effects of the sun, moon, planets and stars, and also using the poles and the equator as reference points. Its measurements and proportions are said to be calculated in reference to proportions of the human physiology and the cosmos, and in harmony with nature.
Features
One of the features of MVS design is the BrahmasthanBrahmasthan
A brahmasthan is a principle of Vedic architecture and community planning that designates the center point of a building or geographical area. Vedic architecture is based on Vastu Shastra.The brahmasthan is a special central zone in a building...
, whose literal translation is "establish wholness". The Brahmasthan is a central space "lit by a skylight" that serves as a "silent core" and is "never walked on". The Brahmastan is said to act as the "nucleus" or axis point for the structure like the nucleus of a cell or an atom.
Other features include a perimeter designation called a vastu fence. This boundary line may consist of shrubs or a metal, stone or wood fence. It is ideally about 30 feet (9.1 m) away from the front back of the building and eight feet away from the sides. Another feature is a "small, golden, roof ornament" or cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
, called a kalash
Kalasha
Kalasha, also spelled as Kalash and kalasa , is a metal pot with a large base and small mouth, large enough to hold a coconut. Sometimes "Kalasha" also refers to such a pot filled with water and topped with a coronet of mango leaves and a coconut...
, which one MSV architect says improves the connection between the residents and heaven. A defined plinth is another standard element. Color is also covered by MSV.
Ceremonies
Three "special ceremonies" performed on "auspicious dates" are recommended by MSV. These include a ground breaking, which is described as digging a precise square hole while facing east, adding organic fertilizer and "sacred water" from India, and making statements of goodwill and success for the new construction. The second ceremony is the laying of the cornerstone and the third is moving-in.Materials
MSV buildings should not contain any iron or steel. MSV emphasizes the use of natural or "green" building materials such as wood, bricks, adobe, rammed earth, clay, stucco and marble. Other natural fibers such as wood, paper, cotton and wool are used in the interior. The use of natural materials, along with spacious plots and layouts, mean that MSV homes can be expensive, according to the MGC sales director, Eloise Raymond.MSV architects and organizations
Eike Hartmann is Minister of Architecture in the Global Country of World PeaceGlobal Country of World Peace
The Global Country of World Peace was declared by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder and guru of the Transcendental Meditation movement, on Vijayadashami , October 7, 2000. He described it as "a country without borders for peace loving people everywhere"...
(variously styled as Minister of Vedic Architecture, Minister of Architecture providing Fortune-Creating Homes, and Minister of Global Reconstruction). He is the chair of the department of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda at Maharishi Vedic University in Vlodrop, Holland. Among his designs is the Maharishi Tower of Invincibility on the Fairfield, Iowa
Fairfield, Iowa
Fairfield is a city and the county seat of Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,464 in the 2010 census, a decline from 9,509 in the 2000 census. - History :...
, campus of Maharishi University of Management
Maharishi University of Management
Maharishi University of Management , formerly known as Maharishi International University, is a non-profit, American university, located in Fairfield, Iowa. It was founded in 1973 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and features a "consciousness-based education" system that includes the practice of the...
.
Jonathan Lipman is director of Fortune-Creating Buildings and chief architect of Maharishi Global Construction (MGC). He is Director of Vedic Architecture for the GCWP in America and Deputy Minister of Architecture for the world. He is Maharishi University of Management's campus architect, an adjunct faculty member, and Director of the Institute of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda. Lipman reports having designed "nearly a dozen" office buildings as well as "hundreds of homes" using the MSV principles. His designs include Tower II, the largest MSV building to date.
Henry Clark (deceased) was an architect at MGC. He was vice president of Maharishi Heaven on Earth Development Corp
Maharishi Heaven on Earth Development
Maharishi Heaven on Earth Development Corp. is a for-profit real estate developer associated with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his Transcendental Meditation movement...
. He was the chief architect and planner of the Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
Maharishi Vedic City is a city in Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The city was first incorporated in 2001 as "Vedic City" but then officially changed its name to "Maharishi Vedic City" five months later. It was the first city to incorporate in Iowa since 1982...
. He also taught at MUM.
Maharishi Heaven on Earth Development Corp.
The Maharishi Heaven on Earth Development Corp. (MHOED) announced in 1988 that it planned to build 50 "Maharishi Cities of Immortals" across the U.S. and Canada. The individual homes would be built using MSV specifications with non-toxic materials and natural ventilation. Its long term goal is to "reconstruct the entire world".Maharishi Global Development Fund
The Maharishi Global Development Fund (MGDF) was founded in 1997 in New York City. It had an initial capital of $430 million, which grew by hundreds of millions, and the stated capacity to handle multiple projects in several counties worth billions of dollars. It has the goal of constructing buildings that reduce the world's problems. It is also concerned with building cities and countries. It was inaugurated on the top floor of the World Trade Center in 1997, and was a tenant on September 11, 2001.In 1995 the MGDF purchased a vacant hotel in Hartford, Connecticut for $1.5 million dollars. Later, the building was for sale at asking prices ranging from $5 to $17 million. After being vacant for more than 15 years, the building sold in 2011 for $500,000.
Maharishi Global Construction
The Maharishi Global Construction L.L.C. (MGC) markets and guides the construction of MSV buildings. Based in Fairfield, Iowa, Doug Greenfield is its volunteer president, Lipman is its chief architect, Hartmann heads the legal department, and Clark is one of its architects. It offers consulting services to architects and builders, but not architectural services. It advised on $13 million in construction in 1999, and $90 million in 2003. By 2003, it reported having built hundreds of Vastu homes in the US. In order to reduce the cost of MSV homes, and to simplify compliance with the precise design constraints, MGC has begun to offer modular kits. MGC also offers a "rectification service" to bring existing buildings closer to MSV standards.Global Reconstruction
The Maharishi's Global Reconstruction Program for Permanent World Peace entails replacing the existing cities and buildings of the world with plans and structures that follow MSV principles. The project is estimated by the Global Country of World Peace (GCWP) Finance Minister to cost $300 trillion. A goal of the MGDF is to achieve "heaven on earth". The Director of the Global Country of World Peace's Financial Capital, Paul Potter, said "we hope to be able to rebuild the whole world to be fortune-oriented buildings, to be heaven on earth".MSV principles were mandated in the platform of the Maharishi's "Invincible India Party" (Ajeya Bharat Party). In 1998, it called for an overhaul of building laws to require all new buildings to comply with MSV. One month after its 2001 founding, the Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
Maharishi Vedic City is a city in Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The city was first incorporated in 2001 as "Vedic City" but then officially changed its name to "Maharishi Vedic City" five months later. It was the first city to incorporate in Iowa since 1982...
, the council passed a resolution saying that city planning should be in accord with MSV principles.
A 2000 document from the Maharishi Global Development Fund outlines a proposed method for cities to transition to Vastu buildings. The first phase is "controlling the expansion of the city by establishing a masterplan with parallel roads in east/west, north/south directions". The second phase is "construction of ideal villages and satellite towns around the city, free from pollution". The third is "starting to demolish congested areas in the city center, replacing them with beautiful gardens, parks and fountains". The fourth is "final stage of the expanded garden city, providing ideal living conditions, including a modern communication and transportation system".
The Maharishi said that "improperly oriented" building should be demolished, including the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
and the U.N. Building
United Nations headquarters
The headquarters of the United Nations is a complex in New York City. The complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1952. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, on spacious grounds overlooking the East River...
. He is quoted as saying that national leaders should vacate inauspicious buildings immediately, "as if an earthquake had hit them". In 2001, he ordered numerous TM centers around the world to close due to inauspicious locations. In 2005, the Maharishi told "everyone in the world to live and work in buildings constructed according to Sthapatya Veda or Vastu architecture". He said then that he would no longer talk or deal with any member of the TM community unless they lived in Vastu structures.
He designated 2006 as the "Year of Reconstruction for the Whole World to be Heaven on Earth". The following year he included reconstruction in his seven-point plan for creating "invincibility for every nation". According to the Maharishi, "All the problems of the world will go away with our Global Reconstruction Programme". The elements of the world reconstruction program, as they appeared in movement newsletter in 2005, includes buildings such as:
- "Maharishi Peace Palaces"
- "Maharishi Vedic Universities"
- "Maharishi Colleges and Schools"
- "Maharishi Spas—Health and Rejuvenation Centers"
- "Maharishi Fortune-Creating Office Buildings, Malls, and Hotels"
Projects
In the decade prior to 2005, about $250 million was spent on the construction of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda buildings, according to the Rock Island Argus. About a third of that construction took place in the town of Fairfield, IowaFairfield, Iowa
Fairfield is a city and the county seat of Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,464 in the 2010 census, a decline from 9,509 in the 2000 census. - History :...
.
According to a 2005 article in the American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
magazine, American Way, "hundreds" of homes using MSV principles have been built across the U.S.A. including Wyoming, Iowa, Texas, Kentucky, Florida, North Carolina and Maryland. The article says that "a growing legion of architects and scholars" believe that by using the principles of MSV, good health and fortune can be incorporated into a home or building. That same year, an article in Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine reported that there had been $500 million in "new Vedic construction" during the prior ten year period.
A 2008 Washington Post article reports that there are MSV buildings in at least 14 states in the US.
Tower II
MSV principles were used for a $72 million, 200000 square feet (18,580.6 m²), nine story office complex called "Tower II". Located at 2000 Towers Oaks Boulevard in Rockville, MarylandRockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
, the structure has been named the "greenest building in Maryland", achieving a "platinum ranking" in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
(LEED), rating system. The "Fortune Creating Architectural/Vedic-designed office building" was developed by Lerner Enterprises and the Tower Companies and designed by Jonathan Lipman. It was the subject of a Harvard Business School case study. The building is one of a handful of MSV structures in the Washington, D.C., area. Jeffrey Abramson, a partner in the family-owned Tower Companies, is a long-time TM practitioner and the chairman of the board of trustees of Maharishi University of Management
Maharishi University of Management
Maharishi University of Management , formerly known as Maharishi International University, is a non-profit, American university, located in Fairfield, Iowa. It was founded in 1973 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and features a "consciousness-based education" system that includes the practice of the...
. According to Abrahamson "The human brain reacts to space" and by using proper proportions a space can be created in which people can succeed and thrive.
MAPI Headquarters
A 75000 square feet (6,967.7 m²) warehouse and office was built according to MSV principles in Colorado Springs, ColoradoColorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
for Maharishi Ayur-Ved Products International Inc. (MAPI). MAPI imports and distributes Maharishi Ayurveda herbal supplements. Every detail of the building, including the placement of the desks, is intentional. There are no fluorescent lights
Fluorescent lamp
A fluorescent lamp or fluorescent tube is a gas-discharge lamp that uses electricity to excite mercury vapor. The excited mercury atoms produce short-wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor to fluoresce, producing visible light. A fluorescent lamp converts electrical power into useful...
, but windows and skylights are plentiful. When completed in 1997 at a cost of about $3 million, it was considered to be one of only 75 MSV buildings in the US.
MERU
The Maharishi Foundation purchased the 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) former St. Ludwig College Franciscan monastery at Vlodrop
Vlodrop
Vlodrop is a town in the south-eastern part of The Netherlands in the municipality of Roerdalen. The town is situated near the German border, about 8 km southeast of Roermond....
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in 1984. In 1990, it became the Maharishi's headquarters and residence. Demolition of the monastery, which was declared a national monument, encountered resistance from local leaders. The Maharishi Foundation was enjoined from continuing and, despite lawsuits, it has not succeeded in getting rid of the large building. New buildings have been built around it. The main building is the Maharishi's palace. It is the largest wooden structure in the country and was built without using any nails, at "vast expense". About the building, the Maharishi is reported to have said that, "the walls of this celebrated building"..."in no way enclose his unbounded cosmic awareness". The building is a tourist attraction, though security is tight. As of 2006, about 50 followers of the Maharishi live on the property in temporary huts. A 2007 press release says that 12 Raja palaces have been constructed on the site.
Peace Tower project
The Maharishi hired Minoru YamasakiMinoru Yamasaki
was a Japanese-American architect, best known for his design of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, buildings 1 and 2. Yamasaki was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century...
, the architect of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
towers, to design the world's tallest building. Called "The Centre of India" or the "Vedic Vishwa Prashasan", the 160-story, 2,222' (675.5m) tall building would have been considerably higher than the 1,483' Petronas Towers, then the tallest building in the world. The layered, pyramid-shaped building
Gopuram
A Gopuram or Gopura, is a monumental tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of any temple, especially in Southern India. This forms a prominent feature of Koils, Hindu temples of the Dravidian style. They are topped by the kalasam, a bulbous stone finial...
would be decorated ornately, with arches and columns, like a Hindu or Vedic temple. The base would be 339 meters square, about 11.5 hectares. Priced at $2.5bn, it would have been large enough to hold 60,000 or 100,000 meditators. The foundation stone was laid on November 6, 1998 at the Brahmasthan of India. The elaborate, three-hour ceremony was attended by dignitaries, including representatives from ten countries, and 2,000 local villagers. No specific completion date was given. As of 2010, the Indian tower was still described in news reports as an active project.
In May 1999, the Maharishi Global Development Fund announced that it would build a 1,630' (510m), 103-story tower in downtown Sao Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil. The 60/40 partnership with Brasilinvest
Brasilinvest
Brasilinvest, created in 1975 by businessman Mario Garnero, is the first private development agency installed in Brazil. It was founded and consolidated as a classic "banque d'affaires" or "merchant bank", with 80 associates in 16 countries...
, a private development company, had a budget of £1.65 billion or $2bn. The Maharishi Global Development Fund would provide $500 million directly and underwrite the rest of it obligation. Proponents said it would improve a run-down area near city hall, dubbed "cracktown", and restore civic pride. Skeptics questioned the need for the office and commercial space, the carrying capacity of the infrastructure, its location in a flood plain, the Maharishi's finances, and the overall viability of such a large project.
Its floor space, 1.3m sq m, would have been larger than the seven-building World Trade Center complex and almost twice as large as The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
. Redesigned as a more conventional glass-sheathed skyscraper, one writer described it as a "giant saltcellar" with a hollow core. The project was slated to have a convention center, four hotels, a university, and apartments. It would have had a monorail stop and underground parking for 25-100,000 cars. Mario Garnero
Mario Garnero
Mario Garnero is one of Brazil's most accomplished entrepreneurs. Throughout his career that ranges over half a century, he has led Brazil in promoting greater international cooperation, seeing to the successful completion of activities in different industries that represented important transfers...
, head of Brasilinvest, said, "This isn't just a building, it's a city." In October 1999, it was announced that the project had the support of the mayor and governor. The land cost, $122 millions, would be split between investors and the city. It was to be paired with another project, the Transworld Complex, that would have a conference center, a golf course, and a theme park on 150 acre (0.607029 km²). Construction was predicted to begin January 2000. In November 2000, it was announced that the plan was being dropped due to government opposition.
The Peace Tower plan was moved to a 329 acres (1.3 km²) property in The Colony, Texas
The Colony, Texas
The city is bordered on the west by Lewisville Lake and Lewisville, Texas, on the north and east by Frisco, Texas and on the south by Carrollton, Texas and Plano, Texas...
, a suburb of Dallas, renamed "Global Centre", and rebudgeted at $3bn. The Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
was concerned about the effect on air traffic and the project did not receive planning approval. The FBI investigated conflicts of interest allegations when the former mayor of the city was hired by the Maharishi's company.
Maharishi Development Project's Peter Swan announced plans in August 2000 for a tower at a site next to Alexandra, Gauteng
Alexandra, Gauteng
Alexandra or Alex for short, nicknamed Gomora is a township located in Gauteng province, South Africa. It is part of Johannesburg, close to the wealthy suburb of Sandton and is bounded by Wynberg on the west, Marlboro and Kelvin on the north, Kew, Lombardy West and Lombardy East on the south...
, Johannesberg
Johannesberg
Johannesberg may refer to:* Johannesberg, Bavaria, Germany* Jánský vrch, a castle in the Czech Republic, known as Johannesberg in German- See also :* Johannesburg * Johannisburg, a town in East Prussia, now called Pisz...
, South Africa. The 270-hectare property had been sold to the project by the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
after it found the soil was unsuitable for housing. Towers were also proposed for each of the 24 time zone
Time zone
A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
s.
MUM campus buildings
Maharishi University of ManagementMaharishi University of Management
Maharishi University of Management , formerly known as Maharishi International University, is a non-profit, American university, located in Fairfield, Iowa. It was founded in 1973 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and features a "consciousness-based education" system that includes the practice of the...
(MUM) is building new structures that follow MSV principles to replace 40 demolished buildings on their campus. Most of the buildings on campus are now compliant with some or all MSV principles, including Dreier Building (the first MSV building on campus), Argiro Student Center, and two Peace Palaces.
The Sustainable Learning Center (SLC), designed by Lipman, is being built to the highest LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
standards.
Maharishi Peace Palaces
In 2000, the Maharishi announced plans to build Peace Palaces in the 3,000 largest cities around the world. The buildings would be built with MSV principles and would house "dormitories, classrooms and shops". As of 2007, Peace Palaces have been completed in at least four US locations, and land has been acquired in 52 other locations.Other buildings
The Spiritual Centre in NasuNasu
Nasu has multiple meanings.* Nasu people, an ethnic group in China, a traditional name for a region in northern Tochigi Prefecture. It is also in the names of several places in that region:**Nasushiobara, Tochigi, a city**Nasukarasuyama, Tochigi, a city...
, the first MSV building in Japan, was designed like an ancient Japanese palace and is reported to be the country's largest wooden structure. Comprehensive Blood & Cancer Center (CBCC), a 27000 square feet (2,508.4 m²) medical center, designed by Lipman, has been constructed in Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
. Ravi Patel, the founder of the CBCC, is a trustee of the Maharishi University of Management.
Cities and developments
Maharishi Sthapatya Veda principles apply to communities and cities as well as individual buildings. Communities should have Bramasthans at their centers, just like homes. Ideal cities, according to plans drawn up by the Maharishi, are built in a grid pattern with gardens surrounding them. Cities with bad arrangements include Paris and New York, and it has been proposed that they be rebuilt on MSV standards. Communities built according to MSV principles are called "Peace Colonies". According to the movement's "Maha Media" news portal, a "Maharishi Peace Colony" is a "community founded to help create invincibility for a nation, based on the principles of Maharishi's Vedic Science and its practical applications for living perfection in all areas of life—featuring homes and buildings for group practice of Yogic Flying—all built according to Vedic Architecture, Maharishi Sthapatya Veda."Maharishi Vedic City
The city plan and buildings of Maharishi Vedic City (MVC) are based on Maharishi Sthapatya Veda. The Maharishi Vedic City is the first settlement to be built entirely on Vedic principles. Easterling says that the city is an intentional communityIntentional community
An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They...
which epitomizes the idea that the personal and communal practice of TM brings a sense of well-being. As the center of the Global Country of World Peace
Global Country of World Peace
The Global Country of World Peace was declared by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder and guru of the Transcendental Meditation movement, on Vijayadashami , October 7, 2000. He described it as "a country without borders for peace loving people everywhere"...
, Easterling says that it reflects the GCWP's interest in achieving a "benign form of global sovereignty".
Other developments in and around Fairfield, Iowa
In addition to Maharishi Vedic City, there are several developments around Fairfield that are being built according to Maharishi Vastu design standards and the latest sustainability technologies.- Abundance Eco-Village is designed as an off-grid, and fully self-supporting development. As of March 2008, the development had five families with seven more houses under construction and plans for a total of 30 homes. In addition to relying on solar and wind for electricity, the development collects its own rainwater and grows organic food in common areas.
- Cypress Villages is also designed with both MSV and sustainability principles. As of April 2010, it had 10 residents living in three houses. A petition to incorporate as a city, intended to allow the development to control zoning decisions, was rejected by a state board in May 2010.
- MUM North Campus Village is on the northern edge of the Maharishi University of Management campus, and is restricted to people connected to the university or the Super Radiance program.
Heavenly Mountain
Heavenly Mountain is a development near Boone, North CarolinaBoone, North Carolina
Boone is a town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, United States. Boone's population was reported as 17,122, as of 2010...
. The developers, Earl and David Kaplan, had purchased a total of 7000 acres (28.3 km²) by 1993 and developed a portion of the land between 1996 and 1998. Several years later, Kaplan "sold most of the land for the Laurelmor development".
A part of the development became the Spiritual Center of America (SCA), a TM-related, non-profit, owned by Upper Blue Mountain Holdings LLC, which is reported to be controlled by Kaplan's extended family, took up 500 acres (2 km²) and included a state-accredited university offering degrees in "consciousness-based studies". SCA became the home for the Purusha (men) and Mother Divine (women) groups which practice the TM and TM-Sidhi programs in monastic settings. The groups had separate campuses, built to MSV and Underwriters Laboratories
Underwriters Laboratories
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. is an independent product safety certification organization. Established in 1894, the company has its headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois. UL develops standards and test procedures for products, materials, components, assemblies, tools and equipment, chiefly dealing...
codes. SCA failed to gain an exemption from county taxes after a 2003 state Supreme Court ruling that the facility did not qualify as an "educational, scientific or charitable institution".
One thousand acres (4 km²) were set aside for development as a luxury resort by the for-profit Heavenly Mountain, with over a hundred lots for sale. A 2006 article in the High Country Press reported that a premium on the home prices helped to fund the SCA. The project was controversial in the area until Kaplan reached out to the community. However Kaplan, a Purusha group member who left the group to marry, broke away from the movement in 2004 and decided to develop the land commercially. The SCA was evicted in 2006. Some home buyers were upset about being evicted and filed lawsuits and as of 2006, 44 condos and homes were still occupied.
According to a TM organization web site, the Mother Divine group had secured a residence and site for the Maharishi University of Enlightenment at the Heavenly Mountain location. The facilities, called East Campus, were described as rooms and suites for about 200 females, along with dining and lecture halls, totaling almost 300000 square feet (27,870.9 m²) of indoor space. The purchase price was estimated by Bevan Morris
Bevan Morris
Bevan G. Morris is the president of Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, President of the Global Country of World Peace, President of Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation, Prime Minister of the United States Peace Government, President of the Maharishi World Peace...
, Prime Minister of the GWCP, to be one-seventh of the cost for new construction. The remaining 381 acres and 26 buildings of the Heavenly Mountain facility were sold for $6.35 million in 2011 to Blue Ridge Preservation Inc., who intend to work with the Art of Living Foundation and related groups.
Purusha Capital
The Maharishi Purusha Capital of the Western World is located on 170 acre (0.6879662 km²) purchased by the Global Country of World PeaceGlobal Country of World Peace
The Global Country of World Peace was declared by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder and guru of the Transcendental Meditation movement, on Vijayadashami , October 7, 2000. He described it as "a country without borders for peace loving people everywhere"...
in 2009. This followed the Maharishi's call in 2007 to immediately establish a Purusha capital in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
, according to the Purusha website. It is in the Three Churches
Three Churches, West Virginia
Three Churches is an unincorporated community in Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The town is located north of Romney along Jersey Mountain Road at a crossroads with Three Churches Hollow Road...
area of Hampshire County, West Virginia
Hampshire County, West Virginia
Hampshire County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 23,964. Its county seat is Romney, West Virginia's oldest town . Hampshire County was created by the Virginia General Assembly on December 13, 1753, from parts of Frederick and Augusta counties ...
near Romney
Romney, West Virginia
Romney is a city in and the county seat of Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,940 at the 2000 census, while the area covered by the city's ZIP code had a population of 5,873. It is a city with a very historic background dating back to the 18th century...
. The property will be designated a Global Capital and will include a palace for the Maharaja and residences for the Raja of Invincible America and the Prime Minister. Accommodations for 150-200 people, including 120 professional meditators, are being constructed. The Purusha website mentions the advantages of having as many as 800 "administrators of Global Raam Raj" so close to the nation's capital. The buildings are planned to be built to Vastu and LEED standards. The land cost $750,000 and the construction is budgeted to cost between $10 and $15 million. Bob LoPinto, the Raja of Potomac Vedic America (regional director), is overseeing the project. A nearby but separate medical center or spa is also being considered.
Maharishi Garden Village
The Maharishi Garden Village is a 30-home settlement in Rendlesham, Suffolk. The movement had sought to purchase the 1000 acres (4 km²) former Bentwaters Air Force Base in 1995 for use as a campus but the deal, contingent on planning approval, fell through. The movement's MSV Homes won approval for a development plan on the former base for 30 homes and 24 apartments. On January 12, 2008, the Maharishi's birthday, construction of a 12-story Maharishi Tower of Invincibility was inaugurated on the site.In February 2008, MSV Homes submitted plans to build a £2 million, three-story, 33-bedroom Peace Palace in Rendlesham, Suffolk. It would be part of the 30-home, 24-apartment Maharishi Peace Colony. The plans were approved two months later, despite community concerns. The building will replace a center in Badingham that was used for 25 years.
Brahmasthan of India
According to the TM movement, the "auspicious" BrahmasthanBrahmasthan
A brahmasthan is a principle of Vedic architecture and community planning that designates the center point of a building or geographical area. Vedic architecture is based on Vastu Shastra.The brahmasthan is a special central zone in a building...
(center point) of India is near Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
. The site has MSV housing for thousands of pandits who perform Vedic chant
Vedic chant
The oral tradition of the Vedas consists of several pathas, "recitations" or ways of chanting the Vedic mantras. Such traditions of Vedic chant are often considered the oldest unbroken oral tradition in existence, the fixation of the samhita texts as preserved dating to roughly the time of Homer...
s. The MSV design is said to amplify the power of their peace-promoting rituals. The project is overseen by Girish Varma, one of the Maharishi's nephews. A series of "parliaments", including the "Maharishi Parliament of World Peace in the field of culture and religion", was held there in 2006, according to a movement press release. A documentary filmmaker snuck into the facility in 2009 and found, in the words of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, a "ghost town". In 2010, a press release announced plans for new residential and visitor facilities, including 30 western-style suites.
Brahmasthan of America
The Brahmasthan of America is near Smith Center, KansasSmith Center, Kansas
Smith Center is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,665.-Geography:Smith Center is located at...
, the geographic center of the contiguous United States
Geographic Center of the Contiguous United States
One of the locations claimed to be the Geographic Center of the Contiguous United States is pinpointed by a historical marker that is located within a small park near the town of Lebanon, Kansas. It is located at the intersection of AA Road and K-191, accessible by a turn-off from U.S...
. The County Commission initially passed a development moratorium to block the project but changed their decision after being threatened with a federal lawsuit. In regard to the local opposition, Eric Michener, the project coordinator for the GCWP, told a reporter, "I don't think we've run into this vibrant level of misunderstanding before". The group failed to receive an endorsement from the county commission when it sought a $38 million tax-exempt bond from the state. One palace is near completion and several others are in various stages of progress. In April 2010, a local newspaper reported that there was no activity on the site.
Other developments
Mandala Club was promoted in 2005 as a green development in Indian River County, FloridaIndian River County, Florida
Indian River County is a county located in the Treasure Coast region in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 112,947. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 128,594...
that would be designed with Vedic principles. Three model homes were approved, out of a total of 90 planned, and the houses were estimated to cost $988,000 each. The 39 acres (157,827.5 m²) property went into foreclosure and was sold in 2010.
Reception
After hearing a presentation on MSV at the National Building MuseumNational Building Museum
The National Builders Museum, in Washington, D.C., United States, is a museum of "architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning"...
in 2005, a Washington Post reporter said that "non-adherents" may find the principles "eccentric, to say the least," as houses not facing east or north are said by MSV adherents to be "practically begging inauspicious forces to sweep in and wreak havoc." The reporter goes on to say that many architects would not "quibble" with other components of MSV such as "balance and symmetry", a vastu fence or wall and "solar influenced" placement of rooms in the home.
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
travel writer Carina Chocano writes that Maharishi Vedic City "displays all the architectural characteristics of a new exurban development: gaudy, oversize construction that has no stylistic relation to its environment but instead vaguely alludes to a theme-park version someplace sort of magical and far away."