| Pondicherry is a blend of spiritual institution, French colonial heritages, Tamil culture and a cosmopolitan form of life. The city is full of French colonial buildings, clean and wide streets and the sprawling premises of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. This territory is important from spiritual as well as from cultural point of view |
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| Pondicherry’s beauty lies in its un-spoilt beaches and well laid out parks and gardens. The city’s temples and churches and imposing monuments of the colonial era are some of the worth visiting sites in this small port city |
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| But today’s attraction of Pondy is due to the presence of Auroville, the city of Dawn. It is a perfect place to search for the Divine. The meditation experience in this spherical house (Matri Mandir) is really exciting |
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| Raj Niwas |
| Once the official residence of the French Governor Dupleix, Raj Niwas has a well laid out garden with a sculpture of Lord Vishnu (as Varaha avatar) together with Goddess Lakshmi at the centre. The building is a harmonious fusion of both French and Indian style of architecture. Now it is used as the official residence of the Lt. Governor of the UT of Pondicherry |
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| Statue of Mahatma Gandhi |
| A statue of Mahatma Gandhi, 13 ft height stands on the beach front, surrounded by carved monolithic pillars built by the famous sculptor Roy Choudhary from Madras School of Art and Crafts. There is also the “French War Memorial” commemorating the sacrifice of the soldiers in the First World War |
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| Statue of Dupleix |
| Joseph Francois Dupleix, a great statesman was the Governor of Pondicherry between 1742 and 1754. His life was greatly associated with the people of the Pondicherry. He had tried his best to prevent British Supremacy from Indian Territory by making alliances with local princess |
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| In the struggle for power between British and French, finally French was defeated in the Second Carnatic War. Hence Dupleix relinquished his Governorship and returned to Paris in disgrace. His memorial statue is located at Goubert Avenue |
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| French Institute of Indology |
| This classical colonial building is now called as the French Institute of Indology, a research institute that explores Indian civilization, history, society in ecology and environmental development in South and Southeast Asia |
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| Established in the mid 1950s by an eminent French Indologist, Dr. Jean Fillozet, the institute was originally set up for the study of local language and culture. Now it has links with various French universities and research organizations in France |
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| Pondicherry Museum |
| The Museum provides a glimpse into Pondicherry's rich past and present. It has the Sculpture gallery, an interesting French Gallery. The Museum brings back to memory the glorious past of Pondicherry from the days of the pre-Christian era down to the present day. It provides glimpses of the art and culture of the people of this region during the Pallava, Chola and Vijayanagar days |
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| Tiruvakkarai |
| It is about 30 km from Pondicherry town. Large fossil bearing areas fenced in to create the country's first National Fossil-Wood Park here. These petrified trees lying scattered on low mounds and stream sections, date from the Cretaceous Age (100 million years ago). The Chandramouliswara Temple, a monument of great architectural grandeur dating back to the Chola period, is an added attraction. Every Pournami (Full Moon Day), people gather here to worship Goddess Kali |
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| Pondicherry Beach |
| Pondicherry has a lovely beach, 1.5 kms long, where one can relax, sunbathe, swim or take a stroll along the promenade. On the sea-front are two important monuments - Statue of Mahatma Gandhi set amidst eight exquisitely sculptured monolithic pillars and the War Memorial raised by the French to honour the soldiers who died in World War I. The Goubert Salai along the Bay of Bengal is lined with grand colonial buildings |
