Pondicherry

Located in the heart of the city, Aurobindo Ashram draws a global mix of ardent devotees and ordinary people searching for peace or looking to improve their meditation skills. The ashram was set up in 1926 by Sri Aurobindo, a religious philosopher who played an active role in the Indian Independence movement. His teachings were preserved by his French companion, who became to be known as 'The Mother'. While it is possible to enter the main Ashram building freely during visiting hours, some sections of the Ashram require that one obtains a pass before being allowed to enter.  

Auroville, or the 'City of Dawn' is 8 km northwest of Pondicherry and was designed by French architect Roger Anger in 1968. The city is made up of attractive, experimental housing and at its center is the huge and unfinished Maitri Mandir meditation center. Silence is maintained inside the Matri Mandir to ensure the tranquility of the space and entire area surrounding the Matri Mandir is called Peace area. Conceived as a utopian paradise by The Mother, Mirra Alfassa, Auroville was planned as futuristic international city so as to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony. The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity.

It is the late 18th century mansion occupied by Pondicherry’s lieutenant governor. Raj Nivas is a harmonious fusion of French and Indian styles of architecture and there is an old court inside the complex which houses the Legislative Assembly. This complex houses the monolithic pillars of the Gingee Fort which was captured in 1751 are also major tourist attractions available at this site. Also within the premises there are beautifully manicured gardens and fountains that add to its beauty.

It is housed in a 17th century colonial mansion once occupied by the French administration. Pondicherry museum has an outstanding collection of artifacts from the French colonial period. The museum features a collection of carriages and carts, stone sculptures and formidable bronze gallery. Among the artifacts excavated from nearby Arikamedu, an ancient port that had trade links with Imperial Rome, are beads, amphorae, coins, ornamented oil lamps etc. Some specimens of Chola and Pallava art from Pondicherry and Karaikal, are dispalyed in the sculpture gallery.