Taj Mahal plans for Auckland
October 20 2009
India’s monumental landmark, the Taj Mahal, will be duplicated in a miniature version to be built in Auckland.
As reported in the Indian Weekender last week, the Auckland Indian Association was looking at plans to replace the Mahatma Gandhi Centre with a new structure.
The association wants to spend $20 million recreating a miniature version of the world-famous mausoleum at its existing centre in New North Rd, in Eden Terrace.
"New Zealanders have their Te Papa, and what we want is a building that will reflect the grandeur and the rich Indian culture and history, and be the pride of the community here," Kanu Patel, the centre's chairman, told the New Zealand Herald.
The replica could include a marble mausoleum, reflection pool and gold-plated ornaments.
The Mahatma Gandhi Centre, which cost $6 million to build, sits on 1ha (2.47 acres) formerly occupied by Findlay's Bakery, which the association bought for $1.9 million in 1990.
Mr Patel said it was funded mainly by donations from Indian families, but also received contributions from the ASB Charitable Trust, Auckland City Council and Lottery Grants Board. The centre will apply to these groups to help with the new project.
"The new building will benefit not only the Indian community but also Auckland City - as a tourist attraction, maybe - so I think there is a good reason for us to be receiving support from local government and charities."
He said the centre had hosted some of the community's most significant social, cultural, religious and musical events and festivals over the years, and the new building would be doing the same, "only on a larger scale".
"Having a piece of land this size in central Auckland is like sitting on a goldmine, and we just have to maximise its potential," Mr Patel said. "Since we own the land, we will be putting all the $20 million into the building, and I think it can go quite a long way."
The centre launched its fundraising efforts this month.
Mr Patel said ideas from the community would play a big part in determining exactly what the new structure would look like, and building would start when "enough money is raised".
"The challenge will be to find a balance in the new building, which has to be iconic and at the same time multi-functional,” Mr Patel said.
"The centre is, and will continue to be, the heart and the hub of the Indian community - where celebrations, weddings, classes and religious observations take place."
The origins of the Mahatma Gandhi Centre go back to 1937 when the Auckland Indian community bought the Gandhi Hall site. But the Great Depression and then World War-II put severe constraints for raising finances to develop the site, and as a result new development was postponed for as many as 11 years, until 1948.
It took a small number of community members seven long years to raise the money thereafter and the hall was inaugurated on October 2, 1955, fittingly on Gandhi Jayanti day. Since then, the hall has grown from strength to strength becoming one of the most useful venues for the Indian community not only in Auckland but also in the country.
The original hall, though, soon became inadequate to house the growing Indian diaspora and by 1980, it was not even big enough to host a wedding. The association looked at many sites for developing the Hall in a bigger manner and in August 1990, bought the present site.
Money for the purchase was raised in a variety of ways. The original Gandhi Hall was worth $400,000.
There was $108,000 in the bank to which were added funds that were raised by members and supplemented by a loan of $350,000 from the ANZ Bank. The purchase was completed a year later in 1991.
The complex, though by no means complete, was opened by the then Prime Minister Jim Bolger in May 1994. On the occasion, president Shri Raman Patel said, “We are bringing a little bit of the Taj Mahal to Eden Terrace.”
Since those early days, the association has continually striven to develop the complex and it has taken twenty years and over $6 million to get to the present stage of the centre.
The complex today stands on a 1ha plot and comprises a built-up area of 75,000 feet. Most of the cash for the development of the complex was raised by families in amounts ranging from $3000 to $50,000.
The ASB Charitable Trust, the Auckland City Council and the Lotteries Commission also made large contributions. But the bulk of it all was raised by the lay people, the hundreds of Indian families of average financial means who also put in a lot of hard work as volunteers over two decades.
The year 2001 saw the completion of the Radha Krishna mandir, after five years of planning and further fund raising. This activity raised over a million dollars from the community. The Pran Pratishtha ceremony and rituals (cnsecration of the deities) was celebrated in June 2001.
Over the years, the Centre has received the blessings of a number of holy personages like Muniji, Shri Rameshbhai Oza and Murari Bapu. Several leaders have also graced the venue including political and business leaders, statesmen, Prime Ministers, Members of Parliament, Councillors and Mayors.
Visitors from India have included senior leaders like Pranab Mukherjee, heads of the Indian Army and Navy, successive High Commissioners and a number of Indian Members of Parliament.
The Mahatma’s 136th birth anniversary, October 2, 2005, was marked with the unveiling of the full size bronze statue that adorns the top of the centre at the main entrance of the building. The statue was sculpted in India, a process that took seven months, and was air freighted to Auckland.
A host of luminaries and dignitaries attended the unveiling including Mahatma Gandhi’s great grand daughter, Leela Gandhi, former Prime Minister Helen Clark, the then opposition leader Don Brash and former Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard.
The venue has played host to some of the most significant social, cultural, religious and musical events and festivals throughout the last few decades. “It is the best investment we have made for the enrichment of the community,” says Mr Patel.
The centre’s success is clearly attributable to the humble, ordinary members achieving extraordinary results with their commitment to fund raising, working selflessly and relentlessly towards its success – a contribution far greater than that made by the wealthy and professional individuals of the community.
India’s monumental landmark, the Taj Mahal, will be duplicated in a miniature version to be built in Auckland.
As reported in the Indian Weekender last week, the Auckland Indian Association was looking at plans to replace the Mahatma Gandhi Centre with a new structure.
The association wants...
India’s monumental landmark, the Taj Mahal, will be duplicated in a miniature version to be built in Auckland.
As reported in the Indian Weekender last week, the Auckland Indian Association was looking at plans to replace the Mahatma Gandhi Centre with a new structure.
The association wants to spend $20 million recreating a miniature version of the world-famous mausoleum at its existing centre in New North Rd, in Eden Terrace.
"New Zealanders have their Te Papa, and what we want is a building that will reflect the grandeur and the rich Indian culture and history, and be the pride of the community here," Kanu Patel, the centre's chairman, told the New Zealand Herald.
The replica could include a marble mausoleum, reflection pool and gold-plated ornaments.
The Mahatma Gandhi Centre, which cost $6 million to build, sits on 1ha (2.47 acres) formerly occupied by Findlay's Bakery, which the association bought for $1.9 million in 1990.
Mr Patel said it was funded mainly by donations from Indian families, but also received contributions from the ASB Charitable Trust, Auckland City Council and Lottery Grants Board. The centre will apply to these groups to help with the new project.
"The new building will benefit not only the Indian community but also Auckland City - as a tourist attraction, maybe - so I think there is a good reason for us to be receiving support from local government and charities."
He said the centre had hosted some of the community's most significant social, cultural, religious and musical events and festivals over the years, and the new building would be doing the same, "only on a larger scale".
"Having a piece of land this size in central Auckland is like sitting on a goldmine, and we just have to maximise its potential," Mr Patel said. "Since we own the land, we will be putting all the $20 million into the building, and I think it can go quite a long way."
The centre launched its fundraising efforts this month.
Mr Patel said ideas from the community would play a big part in determining exactly what the new structure would look like, and building would start when "enough money is raised".
"The challenge will be to find a balance in the new building, which has to be iconic and at the same time multi-functional,” Mr Patel said.
"The centre is, and will continue to be, the heart and the hub of the Indian community - where celebrations, weddings, classes and religious observations take place."
The origins of the Mahatma Gandhi Centre go back to 1937 when the Auckland Indian community bought the Gandhi Hall site. But the Great Depression and then World War-II put severe constraints for raising finances to develop the site, and as a result new development was postponed for as many as 11 years, until 1948.
It took a small number of community members seven long years to raise the money thereafter and the hall was inaugurated on October 2, 1955, fittingly on Gandhi Jayanti day. Since then, the hall has grown from strength to strength becoming one of the most useful venues for the Indian community not only in Auckland but also in the country.
The original hall, though, soon became inadequate to house the growing Indian diaspora and by 1980, it was not even big enough to host a wedding. The association looked at many sites for developing the Hall in a bigger manner and in August 1990, bought the present site.
Money for the purchase was raised in a variety of ways. The original Gandhi Hall was worth $400,000.
There was $108,000 in the bank to which were added funds that were raised by members and supplemented by a loan of $350,000 from the ANZ Bank. The purchase was completed a year later in 1991.
The complex, though by no means complete, was opened by the then Prime Minister Jim Bolger in May 1994. On the occasion, president Shri Raman Patel said, “We are bringing a little bit of the Taj Mahal to Eden Terrace.”
Since those early days, the association has continually striven to develop the complex and it has taken twenty years and over $6 million to get to the present stage of the centre.
The complex today stands on a 1ha plot and comprises a built-up area of 75,000 feet. Most of the cash for the development of the complex was raised by families in amounts ranging from $3000 to $50,000.
The ASB Charitable Trust, the Auckland City Council and the Lotteries Commission also made large contributions. But the bulk of it all was raised by the lay people, the hundreds of Indian families of average financial means who also put in a lot of hard work as volunteers over two decades.
The year 2001 saw the completion of the Radha Krishna mandir, after five years of planning and further fund raising. This activity raised over a million dollars from the community. The Pran Pratishtha ceremony and rituals (cnsecration of the deities) was celebrated in June 2001.
Over the years, the Centre has received the blessings of a number of holy personages like Muniji, Shri Rameshbhai Oza and Murari Bapu. Several leaders have also graced the venue including political and business leaders, statesmen, Prime Ministers, Members of Parliament, Councillors and Mayors.
Visitors from India have included senior leaders like Pranab Mukherjee, heads of the Indian Army and Navy, successive High Commissioners and a number of Indian Members of Parliament.
The Mahatma’s 136th birth anniversary, October 2, 2005, was marked with the unveiling of the full size bronze statue that adorns the top of the centre at the main entrance of the building. The statue was sculpted in India, a process that took seven months, and was air freighted to Auckland.
A host of luminaries and dignitaries attended the unveiling including Mahatma Gandhi’s great grand daughter, Leela Gandhi, former Prime Minister Helen Clark, the then opposition leader Don Brash and former Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard.
The venue has played host to some of the most significant social, cultural, religious and musical events and festivals throughout the last few decades. “It is the best investment we have made for the enrichment of the community,” says Mr Patel.
The centre’s success is clearly attributable to the humble, ordinary members achieving extraordinary results with their commitment to fund raising, working selflessly and relentlessly towards its success – a contribution far greater than that made by the wealthy and professional individuals of the community.
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