Golden Domes

Golden Domes

Photograph of a golden dome and a white tower.

Golden dome and tower
A map showing the location of the Golden Domes in southeastern Iowa, US.
Location in southeastern Iowa, US
Alternative names The Maharishi Patanjali and Bagambhrini Golden Domes of Pure Knowledge
General information
Type Domes
Town or city Fairfield, Iowa
Coordinates 41°01′17″N 91°57′56″W / 41.021389°N 91.965644°W
Construction started 1979
Completed 1981
Cost US$700,000[1]
Owner Maharishi University of Management
Height 35 ft (11 m)[2]
Dimensions
Diameter 200 ft (61 m)
Technical details
Floor area 25,000 sq ft (2,300 m2)
Design and construction
Architect H.O. Clark[3]

The Golden Domes, also called the Maharishi Golden Domes, are twin buildings on the Maharishi University of Management (MUM) campus in Fairfield, Iowa built in 1980 and 1981. According to MUM, the Golden Domes were the first structures built specifically for group meditation and the practice of the TM-Sidhi program. In 2001 and 2005 they received additional construction including landscaping, perimeter fencing and new entrances.

Description

Oblique aerial photo showing the domes.
Aerial photograph showing the Golden Domes.

Each dome is 20,000–25,000 square feet (1,900–2,300 m2) in area, about 150–200 feet (46–61 m) in diameter, and about 35 feet (11 m) high.[1][2][4][5] and are said to dominate the MUM campus.[6] The roofs of the domes are covered with spray polyurethane foam. The domes are mentioned in a number of travel guides [7][8] and are considered "don't miss" landmarks for Fairfield tourists.[9] The domes have been variously described by journalists as looking like: "a huge rotunda",[10] "flying saucers",[11] "extraterrestrial-looking",[12] "gilded breasts",[13][14] "Mallomar-cookie-shaped",[15] "giant mushrooms",[16] and "sprawling structures".[17]

History

In the summer of 1979, during a "World Peace Assembly" in Amherst, Massachusetts, the Maharishi invited TM and TM-Sidhi practitioners to come together for group meditation in Fairfield[18][19] and ordered the construction of two domes for this purpose.[20] University president, Bevan Morris, oversaw the effort and according to MUM, the domes were the first structures built for the purpose of group practice of the Maharishi's TM-Sidhi program (capacity 3,000).[21] Construction began in the fall of 1979 and the first dome was inaugurated in December by the Maharishi. Ravi Shankar (later known as "Sri Sri Ravi Shankar") and two other Indian pandits chanted Vedic hymns during the inaugural ceremony.[22] The second Dome, completed in 1981,[19] was reportedly built on the site of the campus baseball field.[23][24] Each dome's usage was declared gender specific to avoid distraction by the presence of the opposite sex.[12] According to the university's yearbook, the Maharishi named the domes, "The Maharishi Patanjali dome and the Bagambhrini Golden Dome of Pure Knowledge" in 1983.[25]

A photograph of a golden, symmetrical sculpture.
Rooftop cupola shaped like a kalasha.

These rooftop sculptures are 7.5 ft (2.9 m) tall and 5 ft (1.5 m) wide and were cast in acrylic resin by a university professor in 1997.[26] Surrounding areas and berms were also flattened[27][28] and auspicious fencing was added around each dome in 1999.[29] Later some aspects of the building were deemed inauspicious[30] and western entrances were replaced with east facing entrances for one of the domes in 2001.[31][32] An expanded vestibule on the east side includes a large room for coats and shoes and the performance of Yoga positions or asanas.[33] The eastern end of one dome was squared-off, to align it with the philosophy of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda (MSV) architecture.[31][34][35] The entry to the second dome was moved in 2005 and bathrooms were added, replacing a temporary trailer which had been used for the purpose.[36][29] In accordance with the MSV architectural philosophy the domes were topped by cupolas called kalashes.[37] In 2008 the roof of the Maharishi Patanjali dome was resurfaced and repainted.[38]

Footnotes

References

  • Lowe, Scott (2010). "The Neo-Hindu Transformation of an Iowa Town". Nova Religio: the Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 13 (3): 81–91. doi:10.1525/nr.2010.13.3.81. ISSN 1092-6690.
  • Mathiesen, Elsebeth Wedervang (December 18, 1996). "Record Number of New Yogic Flyers from Maharishi School". The Review 12 (5) (MUM). Archived from the original on August 2, 2011.
  • McBurney, Donald H.; White, Theresa L. (2009). Research Methods. Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-0-495-60219-4.
  • Munns, Roger (July 21, 1983). "Upstart stirring up the karma". The Argus-Press (Owosso, Michigan). Associated Press.
  • Naughton, Jim (December 16, 1991). "TM's Maharishi Holds Out No Hope for D.C.". The Washington Post.
  • Noel, Josh (December 13, 2010). "The Iowa aura: In Fairfield, you can't help picking up the maharishi vibes". McClatchy – Tribune News Service.
  • Oates, Jr., Robert M. (1999). Creating Heaven on Earth: The Mechanics of the Impossible. MUM Press. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2011.
  • Orme-Johnson, David W.; Dillbeck, Michael (1987). "Maharishi's program to create world peace: Theory and research" (PDF). Journal of Modern Science and Vedic Science (MUM Press) 1 (2): 207–259.
  • Orme-Johnson, D. W.; Cavanaugh, K. L.; Alexander, C. N.; Gelderloos, P.; Dillbeck, M. C.; Lanford, A. G.; Nader, Abou (1990). "The influence of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field on world events and global social indicators: The effects of the Taste of Utopia Assembly". In Chalmers, R. A.; Clements, G; Schenkluhn, H. Scientific Research on Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Programme: Collected Papers (Vol. 4). Maharishi Vedic University Press.
  • Orme-Johnson, David W. (1992). "Theory and Research on Conflict Resolution Through the Maharishi Effect". Journal of Modern Science and Vedic Science (MUM Press) 5 (1–2).
  • Rabinoff, R. A.; Dillbeck, M. C.; Deissler, R (1981). "Effect of coherent collective consciousness on the weather". Scientific research on Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Programme: Collected papers (Vol. 4). MUM Press.
  • Rascoe, Ayesha (July 27, 2007). "Meditators predict Dow 17,000, near US utopia". Reuters.
  • Redden, Elizabeth (January 28, 2008). "A New Campus, According to Ancient Principles". Inside Higher Ed.
  • Regal, Brian (2009). Pseudoscience : a critical encyclopedia. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-35507-3.
  • Saari, Laura (September 1, 1991). "Meditating for peace OC transplants find tranquillity in Iowa town devoted to TM". Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.). p. G.1.
  • Sagan, Carl (1997). The demon-haunted world: science as a candle in the dark. Ballantine Books. p. 16. ISBN 0-345-40946-9.
  • Sheaffer, Robert (Mar–Apr 1998). "Maharishi Management University's frequent fliers". The Skeptical Inquirer 22 (2). p. 21.
  • Shear, Jonathan, ed. (2006). Experience of Meditation: Experts Introduce the Major Traditions. Paragon House. ISBN 978-1-55778-857-3.
  • Sheffield, Betty (November 24, 1999). "Ladies Dome Gets Landscaping and Renovation". The Review 15 (5) (MUM). Archived from the original on August 3, 2011.
  • Shermer, Michael (2002). The Skeptic: encyclopedia of Pseudoscience. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-653-8.
  • Simon, Alissa (March 1, 2010). "David Wants to Fly.(Movie review)". Daily Variety 306 (40). p. 7.
  • Smith, Ian (July 30, 1988). "Athletes wait for flying start; Third Annual Yogic Flying Competition". The Times (London, UK).
  • Starr, Douglas (May 1989). "Levitation U.". Omni. pp. 66–72, 119.
  • Stebbins, John (April 6, 1997). "A transcendent transformation/Maharishi's university spawning enterprise in small Iowa town". Houston Chronicle. p. 2.
  • Strauss, Stephen (October 3, 1987). "Townies, Tators learn coexistence in Iowa cornfields". The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Ontario). p. B.1.
  • Trumpy, Franklin D. (Winter 1983–1984). "An Investigation of the Reported Effect of Transcendental Meditation on the Weather". The Skeptical Inquirer 8 (143).
  • Vance, Diane (October 20, 2011). "Oprah visits Maharishi School, Fairfield". Fairfield Ledger.
  • Williamson, Lola (2010). Transcendent in America:Hindu-Inspired Meditation Movements as New Religion. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-9450-0.
  • Wood, Toni (April 4, 2004). "Midwestern meditations: There's enlightenment among the corn in an Iowa city". The Kansas City Star.

Unsigned

Guidebooks

  • Erickson, Lori; Stuhr, Tracy (2010). Off the Beaten Path Iowa: A Guide to Unique Places. Globe Pequot. ISBN 978-0-7627-5042-9.
  • Heim, Michael (2007). Exploring Iowa Highways: Trip Trivia. Exploring America's Highway. ISBN 978-0-9744358-5-5.
  • Campbell, Jeff (2008). USA. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-74104-675-5.

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