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Eco Truly Park

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The Eco Truly Park

The Eco Truly Park is a made up of several small constructions and the main material used is mud. (Eco Truly Park)These constructions have a circular base, a cylindrical body and a dome. The trulys are placed according to the cosmos to bring harmony and to praise Krishna. The Truly is a simple, ecological, spiritual and economical construction. (Paramadvaiti Swami 2) The Truly combines mysticism with architecture, bringing along with it peace to the people who live in them and visit them. (Eco Truly Park) The origin of this construction is ancient; there are similar constructions in Egypt such as the Ziggurat and the Pyramids, (Field 15) in Peru such as the architecture of the Pre-Incas (Eco Truly Park) and in Mexico such as those of the Mayan civilizations. More similar to the Truly are those constructions found in Italy at Alberobello and Apulia, which are small cities made up of Trulys. (I Trulli di Alberobello) The Truly is designed with a circular base similar to that of a dome. Depending on the material used, the Truly can reach as much as 200 meters in height. (Paramadvaiti Swami 10) The most common materials used are mud and stone. The basic idea is to construct in harmony with nature and not against her, so this is why these materials are chosen. (Eco Truly Park)


Spirituality and symbolism are very important factors in the construction of the Truly. The truly park is made up of several Trulys which are placed according to the cosmos ie astrology, forming the shape of a Stupa. (Field 277) This shape is used to symbolize the attempt to reach for the skies toward God and at the same time they symbolize the “center” also referring to the power of spirituality. (Humphrey, Vitebsky 140)


The Vastu Shastra is the study of the architecture of ancient times in India. (Vastu Shastra) This also has a great influence over the design and construction of the Eco Truly Park. The basic idea of the Vastu Shastra is the alignment of the buildings with the cardinal signs i.e. “…along with the Earth’s Magnetic field.” (Vastu Shastra)
This is done so that there can be more benefits from the natural elements.


“Construir con la naturaleza y no en contra de ella” said Guru Maharaj the founder of the Eco Truly Park; saying that one should construct with nature not against her. This idea has been used in many civilizations and countries such as Korea. (Remarkable Powers of Hwangt'o) This is part of the ecological mission of the park, which is an important aspect of the ideas behind the architecture and construction of the Truly. This mission is carried out with several projects such as recycling, ecological bathrooms, the use of solar energy and mud ovens. (Eco Truly Park)


The Truly as a Mountain

The idea that mountains are symbols of Mother Nature rising towards the heavens is present in many civilizations, religions and spiritual beliefs. (Humphrey, Vitebsky 22)

As said by Humphrey and Vittebsky “ they are the feature on earth that most perfectly aspires to reach heaven” (Humphrey, Vitebsky 23) in a chapter dedicated toward the study of temples. One of the early examples is the Ziggurat, which is one of the first structures that we have studied in architecture. The Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, Egypt is one of these structures. (Humphrey, Vitebsky 22) Next there are the Great Pyramids of Egypt. (Field 15) On the other side of the world, in Mexico we can also find examples of these mountain structures such as the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan. (Field 24) More importantly for the comparison with the Truly is that of ancient India since the origins of the Hare Krishna is Vedic (from India). As an example there is an early temple in Sanchi called the Great Stupa. (Field 277)


The love of nature also comes together with the study of the cosmos, astrology specifically the sun, the moon and the stars is an important part of the design of the mountain shaped structures. The Pre-Incan civilizations for example dedicated temples to each of these elements (each also being a god) and these themes were the central idea of the architecture. The alignment of the temples, houses, streets etc. were done with respect to astrology and religious beliefs. (Eco Truly Park) A more modern example of these principles that combine the idea of the mountain and the cosmos is that of Alberobello in Italy. This small city is made of a series of Trulys, which are a more clear influence to those of the Eco Truly Park. The Truly in Alberobello has a round base “…and cone-shaped roofs.” The one noticeable difference is that in this case they are made of stone instead of mud. (I Trulli di Alberobello)


Foundations of the architectural style of a Truly

The circular base of Truly comes from the idea that energy flows better in a circle than a rectangle or a square. (Vastu Shastra) In this same way the Eco Truly Park is arranged so that the Trulys also form a circle. The influence of these ideas come from India seen in the Mandala plans which the Hare Krishna designers follow. (Humphrey, Vitebsky 22) Also as they believe in astrology and study geometry the circle is used as a perfect shape making reference to the sun and the moon. (Eco Truly Park)

The shape of a Truly is like a cone but as Guru Maharaj states, it comes from the study of the “…arch of the chain inverted upward has the absolute protection of the natural force and consequently does not need support of beams neither of columns nor metal.” This arch is the catenary which we recently studied in the Industrial Period is often used in different structures because of its’ strength. A Modern version of this can be seen in the St. Louis Gateway Arch.
The basic materials use in the Truly is mud. The idea of using mud rather than stone as seen in other temples is that mud is found in nature. (Eco Truly Park) As stated by the founder Guru Maharaj “they rose from the earth and in the future, they will become part of her again.” The belief in ecological consciousness is the key in this decision. This area of Peru where the park is found is an area where it does not rain frequently so the mud is not at risk for erosion or destruction. (Eco Truly Park)

Mud has been used as a building material for ages through many civilizations. There are many examples of “primitive” structures, which use this type of construction in more ancient times but they are also in use in more modern times for reasons other than what I previously mentioned. One is that mud is inexpensive; another is that it is easily accessible, and another more technical is that mud remains cool in the summer time and keeps heat in for the winter time. (Remarkable Powers of Hwangt'o) This is very important for the farm life and natural style of life that the Hare Krishna community has. Also when the mud dries and gets hard, it will naturally have air holes, which are a natural form of ventilation; and it is said that it helps keep the humidity level stable. Examples of the urban use of mud can be found in Korea in the Hwangt’o Houses. (Remarkable Powers of Hwangt'o) These examples also show that mud structures can have an effect on acoustics as well. Sound is “accentuated”, helping “to stabilize the sounds of nature while filtering out those of machines or noise.” (Remarkable Powers of Hwangt'o)


In the specific design of the Eco Truly, the Hare Krishna community researched the Vastu Shastra, that is the most ancient form of Indian architecture. The principles of the Vastu Shastra are to receive benefits from nature especially from the elements: Akash (sky), Prithvi (earth), Paani (water), Agni (fire), and Vayu (wind); it is considered a science not a religion. (Vastu Shastra) Even though it is often used for religious structures, that is not their main focus. They also consider the cardinal signs of North, South, East and West for aligning of the structures something like that of the Feng-Shui. An architect should become an expert in the study of energy as well so that he can avoid negative energies or evil influences in the design of a structure especially that of a temple for God. They promote the use of symmetrical shapes for they say that it “…promotes overall growth, increases mental capabilities and generates prosperity.” (Vastu Shastra)
These principles mean for example that the Truly entrances are aligned either to the East or to the North to maximize the amount of light and heat since the belief is that the sun is the only and the best source of energy. Also the Southern part of the construction should be the heaviest and tallest possible part for growth and prosperity. (Vastu Shastra)


Symbolism of the Truly

The Truly is decorated with symbols reflecting the spirituality and the religion of the Hare Krishnas. These symbols let us know of the relationship we have to God. The symbols are from the Vaisnava, which is the Hare Krishna school of thought. Some basic symbols used throughout the park are for example the Lotus Flower, which symbolizes hope and life, the seashell symbolizing the sound of creation and invites the devotees to gather. (Eco Truly Park) One of the Trulys is the Vaikuntha Ashram, the house of the devotees; these words symbolize living without anxiety. Some of the symbols in this Truly are for protection. Other symbols represent control of the self, serenity, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, etc which are qualities that a devotee should have. (Paramadvaiti Swami 20) Throughout the park there are Yantras, which are inscribed writings on stones. The symbols in the Yantras call for blessings for our lives, protection and meditation. For example, the Vishnu Yantra is a calling for protection against demons; and the Laksmi Yantra is a calling for good fortune. (Eco Truly Park) The Guru’s Truly is especially important since the spiritual leader lives there, and here is where the devotees get together to learn about the principles. The symbols in this Truly ask for help from above since here is where the community reflects and plans on projects. The symbols here are of a rose for the Guru’s kindness and of a lighting bolt, which is for protection. (Eco Truly Park) The Vaisnava symbol is also found. The Gayatri Yantra decorates this Truly inviting the devotees towards the true love of God. The Imli Tala Truly is where the cooking and eating and festivals take place and it is named this after a holy Indian Vedic tree. (Eco Truly Park)


Ecological Mission

As I mentioned before the community of the Eco Truly Park is very conscious of Mother Nature and that is why the ecological mission is important to this project. They use solar energy whenever possible such as “…the solar dehydrator (to remove the humidity from the food…)”(Eco Truly Park) Cooking is done with fire and mud ovens. Human waste is used as fertilizer for the gardens. The organic gardens are where they grow their vegetarian supply of food. They also recycle and try not to use materials, which are not recyclable. Finally, they have a windmill to gather drinking water from underground. (Eco Truly Park)

In conclusion, the Truly is a simple construction, beautiful, ecological, spiritual and economical. In them the spiritual and the mystic is combined with architecture. These can be found in several different cultures around the world. The Truly is designed with a circular base, and it can reach a height of up to 200 meters depending on the materials being used. The material used in this construction is mud. The importance of the Eco Truly Park is to go back to the more primitive modes of construction, which were effective and ecologically conscious. The idea is to blend the spiritual and the mystic of ancient times during which Mother Nature ruled the principles of all the peoples and their purposes.




Bibliography

Paramadvaiti Swami, B.A. Eco Truly Park y Yoga Planetario. Servicio Editorial de los Vaishnavas Acharyas. Lima Peru: 2004.

Paramadvaiti Swami, B.A. "Eco Truly Park." Das, Nitay Gouranga. June 14,2006. .

Humphrey, Caroline; Vitebsky, Piers. Sacred Architecture: Symbolic Form and Ornament Traditions of East and West Models of the Cosmos. London: Duncan Baird Publishers, 2003.

Field, D.M. The World’s Greatest Architecture Past and Present. New Jersey: Chartwell Books, Inc, 2005.

Vastu Shastra. Online. 16 Jul 2006.
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I Trulli di Alberobello The White Cones of Puglia. Online. 16 Jul 2006.
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“Remarkable Powers of Hwangt'o and Revival of Earthen Houses.” Koreana 14 (2000). 16 Jul. 2006. .