Asia's spectacular monument of gratitude (architectural wonder)

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/HJ25Df03.html


Air travelers over Mumbai will soon have something spectacular to goggle at: a cloud-high view of the golden Global Pagoda, the world's largest stone monument and the first dome in human history of this size without any supporting pillars.

The completed massive main dome of the Global Pagoda, to seat
more than 8,000, is to be officially inaugurated this Sunday in the presence of many Indian leaders, including possibly Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This 100-meter-high monument, expected to be one of Asia's major tourist attractions, bridges Vipassana - an ancient path to liberation from all suffering - to the complexities challenging the world today. About 100,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony on the island of Gorai in suburban Mumbai, including guests from Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and other countries

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This pillarless 27-meter-high dome is attracting architectural wonder considering that thousands of stones, each weighing about 600-700 kilograms, are suspended without any external support. "These massive stones seemingly float over our heads, locked into place by the interlocking principle of one stone gripping and holding another. The more weight that is added to the stones, the more firmly the stones grip and hold each other," said M M Khandhar, a veteran construction engineer with experience of building projects in the US. When fully complete, the pagoda will be 100 meters high.

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Chandubhai Sompura, an Indian architect, provided the breakthrough by demonstrating the idea of the locking system of stones using bars of soap cut into the same shape as the present stones are cut. A stone has grooves cut both horizontally and vertically, and is designed to interlock in both directions and hold the stones in place.

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Posterity will look upon the Global Pagoda with awe similar to that evoked by the pyramids of ancient Egypt, besides the universal message of peace and purity that Asia's new monument of gratitude symbolizes.
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wow!

It's a pity that George Harrison and John Lennon aren't here on this Earth to see such a wonder!