Global Vipassana Pagoda – Gorai Village, Borivali West, Mumbai

Entry fees:- No entry Fee.

Significance -The Pagoda is considered Meditation Hall.

Timing :- Monday to Sunday, 9 am – 7 pm.

Place :- Next to Esselworld, Gorai Village, Borivali West, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The Global Vipassana Pagoda is a Meditation Hall near Gorai, North-west of Mumbai, India. The Pagoda was inaugurated by Pratibha Patil, then President of India on 8 February 2009. It is built on donated land on a peninsula between Gorai creek and the Arabian Sea. The pagoda is to serve as a monument of peace and harmony. The Global Vipassana Pagoda has been built out of gratitude to the Buddha, his teaching and the community of monks practicing his teaching. Its traditional Burmese design is an expression of gratitude towards the country of Myanmar for preserving the practice of Vipassana. The shape of the pagoda is a copy of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar. It was built combining ancient Indian and modern technology to enable it to last for a thousand years.

Reaching The Global Vipassana Pagoda :-

1. Coming from Mumbai City / Domestic Airport / International Airport / Railway Stations in Mumbai
2. Travelling by Road from Thane / Nashik / Igatpuri / Pune / Navi Mumbai
3. Reaching By Public Transport from Mumbai City
4. Hotels nearby

Identity Proof :-

Identity Proof is mandatory for foreign visitors. (Passport/ driving licence/ certificate from respective embassy)

A rare opportunity to learn Anapana Meditation in 10 minutes – near the

Buddha’s relics at Global Vipassana Pagoda’s North Pagoda (Opposite Visitor’s Gallery)Timings 10.00 am to 6.00 pm continuously.

No fees is charged to attend these courses. anyone who is fit and
above 10 years of age can participate.

All participants must sit continuously and follow the audio
instructions for 10 minutes without leaving the meditation hall.

They should observe complete silence and should switch off their
mobiles during the course.

Dos & Donts

• Visitors will not be allowed to carry or consume any intoxicants or alcoholic drinks within the pagoda premises. (This will also include cigarettes, bidees, pan, mawa, pan-masala or chewing tobacco)
• Visitors who wish to attend the Mini-Anapana course will have to be seated inside the Pagoda for complete duration of the course, i.e. 20 minutes.
• Male and Female visitors attending the Mini-Anapana course will be seated inside the pagoda, in separate areas specially designated for them.
• Visitors who wish to attend Mini-Anapana course will have to maintain complete silence while they are inside the pagoda main dome.
• The Mini-Anapana course will be conducted through recorded instructions in Shri S N Goenka Ji’s voice. Visitors are instructed to follow every instruction carefully.
• During the Mini-Anapana course, visitors will have to concentrate on their natural breath. Do not chant any word or mantra during the meditation. Similarly do not imagine any form or figure during the meditation.
• Mobiles should be switched off during the session.
• Visitors are prohibited from taking any photographs or video shooting while they are inside the Pagoda Main Dome or the Visitors’ gallery. If they so wish they can take pictures outside the Pagoda Main Dome or any other place in the pagoda premises.
• Every Visitor should take care that his or her personal conduct within the pagoda premises should not disturb or cause any inconvenience to other visitors or meditators.

Description :-

The center of the Global Vipassana Pagoda contains the world’s largest stone dome built without any supporting pillars. The height of the dome is approximately 29 metres, while the height of the building is 96.12 meters, which is twice the size of the previously largest hollow stone monument in the world, the Gol Gumbaz Dome in Bijapur, India. External diameter of the largest section of the dome is 97.46m and the shorter sections is 94.82m. Internal diameter of the dome is 85.15m. The inside of the pagoda is hollow and serves as a very large meditation hall with an area covering more than 6000 m²(65,000 ft²). The massive inner dome seats over 8000 people enabling them to practice the non-sectarian Vipassana meditation as taught by Mr S.N. Goenka and now being practiced in over 100 countries. An inaugural one-day meditation course was held at the pagoda on 21 December 2008, with Mr S.N. Goenka in attendance as the teacher.

The aim of the pagoda complex is, among others, to express gratitude to Gautama Buddha for dispensing what followers believe is a universal teaching for the eradication of suffering, to educate the public about the life and teaching of the Buddha, and to provide a place for the practice of meditation. 10-day vipassana meditation courses are held free of charge at the meditation centre that is part of the Global Vipassana Pagoda complex.