by Bhagin Richard Kellenberger
From the very beginning I was able to accompany this extraordinary project. In 2012, the preparation and elaboration of the construction plans and the excavation were started.
With the excavation, also the astonishment began. The building pit for the foundation, 50 x 30 meter and 3 meter deep in average, was completed by hand. Up to 100 people loosened the earth with pickles and pickaxes and carried the material away, bowl by bowl. Stones and earth were separated. Large stones were crushed and prepared for the construction. The temple was constructed only with the help of two concrete mixers and a simple elevator, everything else was pure handwork. The joy, cheerfulness and the commitment of women and men was admirable. Never have I seen such a good mood on a construction site.
In the meantime, the shell has almost been completed and the interior work is in full swing. In the center of peace, built according to cosmic laws, different areas are integrated. In the big Mother Temple on the west side with its many pillars, a strong inner and outer power of uprightness and a revitalization of one’s own vital energy can already be perceived.
The center of the building is the Shiva Temple. SHIVA is translated according to old lore with “the LIGHT WAY” ‒ SHI the light, VA the way. In my activity around the building scene, it was often possible for me to stay in this central space, and I was always filled with a peaceful confidence.
East of this sacred center is the Naga Temple, another very notable part of the Peace Center. In the Naga Temple there is a pit, in which the cobras can come from outside through a small opening into a protected room of the temple. The Naga Temple is designed so that both the cobras and the visitors of the temple can stay undisturbed. Already in spring 2017, a cobra visited the temple several times, although the interior work was still in progress.
Over the 36 steps of the stairs in the east one reaches the Surya (sun) Temple and through this into the Shiva-Shakti-Room. In this room especially the sense of hearing is addressed, while in the Surya Temple the visual sense is stimulated when one is a perceptive person.
Continuing one reaches the Parikrama or the Circuit of Gods. While in Europe the opinion is predominant that the Indian people are idolatrous with many statues, for the Indian people it is a representation of a power aspect of the one divine system. Thus it is possible for the temple visitor to connect with the particular aspect which helps him to deal with his or her concerns.
Meanwhile the infrastructure around the Peace Center was also started. This includes the bathroom, where the pilgrim can take a shower, a bath or at least a foot bath before the temple visit. This is a ritual usual in Hindu culture before a holy place is entered.
Currently, the Guard House is in the process of being built and in a further stage the Priest House as well as a simple building for the Sadhus are planned. Sadhus are those people who are completely devoted to spiritual life. The word Sadhu comes from the ancient Indian language Sanskrit and means “good or holy man”.
Although the Universal Center of Peace is only in the build-up stage, many visitors have already commented on a special radiation perceived around the Center of Peace and a strong heart power from the place which helps to solve the tensions between people.