Pondicherry Tourism

About Pondicherry Tourism

The Union Territory of Pondicherry comprises the town of Pondicherry and three pockets- Karaikal in Tamil Nadu, Yanam in Andhra Pradesh and Mahe in Kerala. Pondicherry has a rich cultural heritage, having been the capital of the French colonies in India since the 17th Century, that is being presented beautifully by the Pondicherry tourism. The influence of the French on the life, language, art, and architecture of the people of Pondicherry is still evident. Pondicherry has people from all parts of the country as well as foreigners. It is a place which provides a cosmopolitan life with a composite culture in the deep south.

Pondicherry Tourist Places to Visit

Pondicherry Museum
Explore the rich historical past of the city with Pondicherry tourism. The museum here houses a collection of articles that provide a view of the culture past of this region. Sculptures of the Pallava, Chola and Vijayanagar periods adorn this museum. Besides, there are various artefacts belonging to the Roman and Chinese civilizations. The museum is divided into galleries or sections. In the French-India Gallery there are some wonderful Italian marble statues of spring, Venus, Psyche, and Cupid. The Arms Gallery displays walking sticks that are really the outer cases of thin, sharp swords. An old rusted weapon fashioned after a Roman sword is the oldest metal piece on show. Another interesting article is the pousse-pousse or old time rickshaw.

Ola Place
It is a small square with park on either side. A nice place to spend the evenings on your Pondicherry tourism.

Raj Nivas
Overlooking the Ola Place is the present Raj Nivas, a magnificent building with beautiful sculptures. It is also one of the most popular destination of the Pondicherry tourism. It is the place where Dupleix once lived during French occupancy, now the residence of the Lt. Governor. Many of the Government offices are all situated in this area.

Cercle de Pondicherry
This local club is always abuzz with activity. It is the favorite haunt of the many French pensioners.

Eurobond Ashram
The Ashram has a lot of Indians and foreigners staying in it. The Philosophy being "perfection of man through work". Every man or woman can pursue any type of work he or she likes but do it with perfection. Thus education, art, craft, agricultural, industry have all found a beautiful expression in the Ashram.

Auroville
This is amongst the top tourist places in Pondicherry. The City of Dawn: Just across the Pondicherry border in Tamil Nadu, Auroville stretches over 800 acres scattered with houses for its residents. It is a self sufficient settlement with its own fruit and herb orchards and schools with some very interesting modern architectural styles. The site covers areas both in Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu and provides a beautiful panoramic view with the sea on the east and a number of lakes on the west and north.

Maison Ananda Rangapillai
It is a house where a courtier of Dupleix lived and maintained a diary from 1736-1760, which is an invaluable historical record of French rule in India. Visit it on your Pondicherry tour to unveil the past of the city.

The Beach
The beach of Pondicherry stretches on to Marakanam, which is a little fishing town. Spend some time here to experience the serenity as well as local life on your Pondicherry tour.

Ousteri Lake
Bring your family and friend to this hotspot in Pondicherry tourist places. It is a famous picnic spot where you can enjoy some light moments.

Others
In addition, on the way to its pocket Karaikul one can locate a number of famous temples of Tamil Nadu. Chidambaram, the temple town of Nataraja, is on the way as also Vaitheeswaran Koil near Sirkali. If one makes a slight detour one can visit the famous Velankanni Church which is a place of Pilgrimage for Christians as well as the Mosque at Nagore in Karaikal, the place of pilgrimage for Muslims.

How to Reach Pondicherry

By Air: The nearest airport is Chennai, 135 kms.

By Rail: It is connected only by a meter gauge line. Villupuram, 36 kms away, is the nearest broad gauge link.It is also connected to Chennai by direct meter gauge services.

By Road: An excellent network of roads links it with the major centres of the region.

Local Transport: Taxis, auto-rickshaws and bicycles.

Pondicherry Accommodation

Tourists can unpack at the various cosy hotels in and around the city. Few places where you can stay during your Pondicherry tour are Hotel Annamalai International, Ajantha Sea View Hotel and Hotel De L'Orient.