August 28, 2015
Coimbatore is not only known for its salubrious climates, but also for its peace-loving people. Keeping this in view, Swami Satchidananda had envisioned the construction of ‘Lotus Temple,’ a replica of ‘Light of Truth Universal Shrine’ in Yogaville, U.S., in his birth place, Chettipalayam.Fulfilling his dream, the Swami Satchidananda Foundation, led by its chairman K. Ramasamy, took up the work at Chettipalayam. The construction was inaugurated by Governor Dr. K. Rosiah on December 22, 2014, to coincide with the birth anniversary of Swami Satchidananda.
Spread across 2.5 acres, the Lotus Temple had altars for Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Jainism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. According to the managing trustee K. Ramasamy, the idea behind the shrine is to bring together people of all faiths under one fold since Swami’s vision was ‘ONE WORLD – ONE PEOPLE.’
The house where Swami Satchidananda was born and brought up has been preserved in its old form even while giving a facelift to the tiled roof house. Swami’s statue in sitting posture greets visitors to his ancient-styled house with an open verandah in the middle.
Witnessing ‘Lotus Temple,’ when completely lit, is a feast to the eyes. Tourists from all over visit the temple. College students offer voluntary services in the evenings, to explain about the exhibits at the inter-faith shrine.
TNSTC has extended some of the route buses from Podanur to Chettipalayam Lotus Temple for the convenience of public.