The International Garden Exhibition (IGA Berlin) opened in Berlin end of April. An important place of event is the Pavillon of Religions, which was established in cooperation with the ‘Berliner Forum der Religionen’. Haladhara das from the Berlin Hindu community (VRINDA), is one of the organizers. The communities share midday prayers, midday meditation, midday contemplation and other traditional daily rituals with IGA visitors.
As a central symbol for the midday prayers an artwork was chosen, which was created by Haladhara das. The naturally round shaped piece of art is combination of stone and glass (named ‘One and Different’) which represents the philosophy of acintya-bedha-abedha-tattva taught by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Berlin is a city that has risen to become one of the most popular in the world, above all else due to its cultural diversity and openness. With the ‘Intercultural dialogue’ pavilion in the Gardens of the World, the IGA is also creating a special space for intercultural dialogue and providing a place for encounters between various religious communities and denominations.
The pavilion’s light and airy design and generously sized glass elements invite guests to take a look inside and stay a while.
The ‘Intercultural dialogue’ pavilion is a place of contemplation and communication. It is a meeting place, information point and venue – both the pavilion itself and the programme have been planned and created by Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist communities in Berlin. This open dialogue was established together with the Office for Cultural Affairs at the Senate Chancellery of Berlin and representatives from religious communities and denominations.
Represented at the IGA are the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia, the Catholic Archdiocese of Berlin / Franciscan Initiative, the Jewish community of Berlin, Muslim communities in Berlin and Hindu-Vaishnava and Buddhist communities in Berlin.
