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Location:
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The Union Territory of Pondicherry extends
from Latitude to 11o 56' in the North to Longitude 79o 53' in the East.
Pondicherry comprises four coastal regions namely Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe,
and Yanam. Pondicherry and Karaikal are situated on the East Coasts in Tamil
Nadu, Yanam in Andhra Pradesh, and Mahe on the West Coast in Kerala. It is
still not known that why, French and British limited their territories in the
intermingling manner, making Pondicherry a peculiar case for territorial
jurisdiction.
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Auroville |
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Chhunambar Boat House |
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Botanical Garden |
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Arikamedu (Roman Trade Center) |
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Sri Aurobindo Ashram |
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Ayee Mandabam Park |
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Physical Features:
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Pondicherry more or less is a flat land with no hills and forests. Interspersed
with parts of Cuddalore and Villupuram districts of Tamil Nadu, the Union
Territory of Pondicherry presents a picture of scattered parts. Main soil types
are red ferrallitic, black clay, and coastal alluvial.
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Climate:
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Pondicherry has a hot and humid climate with not much variation in the annual
temperatures. The temperatures generally hover around 28-30o C in the summer as
well as winters. Monsoon is prevalent from October to March.
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Sunday Market |
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Villianoor Sivan Temple |
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Anglo French Textile Mill |
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Lee Cafe |
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Cathedral |
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Dharga |
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Often referred to as "A little piece of Medieval France in India" and "... a
sleepy provincial French town", Pondicherry has managed to retain its French
aura. From it's delightful restaurants offering French cuisine and streets
bearing French names, Pondicherry's French connection is very much alive - yet,
very subtle. As one tourist guide proclaims "... Pondicherry's Frenchness seems
to play hide-and-seek". In Pondicherry you will find a 'West Boulevard'
parallel to a 'Chinna Subbraya Street' and a 'Des Bassyins de Richmont Street'
crossing over 'Mahatma Gandhi Road'. Having once been the capital of erstwhile
French India, the heritage of this town has a special flavour not found
anywhere else in the Indian sub-continent. The French town-sense, neatly laid
roads cutting each other at ninety degrees, wide and vibrant beach promenade,
French colonial history, the eventful life of Joseph Francois Duplex - whose
majestic statue overlooks the Goubert Avenue contemplatively, architecturally
admirable churches and public structures of a bygone era, all of these coalesce
to give Pondicherry its unique milieu.
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History
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Legendary associations trace the origin of this city to Rishi Agastya, the
revered sage of the south. And excavations near Pondicherry reveal that a Roman
settlement existed here 2000 years ago. Pondicherry has been the theatre of
many battles in the wars between the British and the French, and was the
capital of French India before it attained independence in 1954. Pondicherry is
famous as a centre chosen by late Sri Aurobindo, revolutionary turned saint,
who built his Ashram, which draws huge crowd of tourists.
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Places of tourist
interest
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| Sri Aurobindo Ashram : |
Every place has its own distinguishing
landmark which draws hordes of visitors for that place. Paris and Eiffel Tower,
London and Big Ben, think Pondy and the first thing that strikes ur mind is the
Aurobindo Ashram. Founded in 1926 by one of India's famous sons, Sri Aurobindo
and the Mother. Its a unique spiritual concept revolving around offering work
as a Divine offering. There are no rituals, no compulsory meditation, no
practices. But it revolves around only one principle: One must surrender to the
Divine principle and an opening to the Divine force. Here lies the Samadhi or
final resting place of Sri Aurobindo, and the Mother, which draw devotees. Sri
Aurobindo, a saint-cum-yogi, taught Integral Yoga, synthesising yoga and modern
science. The activities of the ashram include the development of art, culture,
and spiritually, besides agriculture and cottage industries.
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Pondicherry Museum :
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Here you can find everything from Pallava sculptures to a bed slept in by
Dupleix, the colony's most famous governor
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Sacred Heart Church :
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There are several large churches and cathedrals around the town, including the
striking brown and white sacred Heart Church on South Boulevard. Nearby are the
peaceful, extensive Botanical Gardens, opened in 1740.
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Bharathi and Bharathidasan Memorial Museums : The houses of two great Tamil
poets have been converted into the museums
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Festive Fun:
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The diversity of Pondicherry is reflected in the festivals celebrated here.
Pongal the harvest festival in January, Bastille Day in July, Sri Aurobindo's
Birth anniversary on Aug 15th. Fete de Pondicherry on Aug 15-17th with the
brilliantly lit Park monument. And of course the standard festivals like
Ganesha Puja, Dussehra, Christmas, Diwali etc.
Masi Mangam (February- March)
On full moon day, deities from 38 temples are taken to the sea for a symbolic
immersion. Devotees join in for a dip in the sea.
Fire Walking Festival
It is celebrated 3-4 times in a year. Men, women and children walk on fire at
local temples to fulfill vows.
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Excursions
Pondicherry Beach :
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Here you can enjoy swimming and sunbathing, free of cost.
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Auroville :
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While the Aurobindo Ashram is one of the reasons to see Pondicherry, there is
another place that is a must see, Auroville the City of Dawn. It's a unique
township never seen of its kind in India. It was an experiment for celebrating
unity in diversity. It was founded on Feb 28,1968 when youth from 128 nations
and Indian states met together and placed the earth from their native places in
an urn, symbolic of international understanding. Located a few kilometers from
Pondy, at the center of the township stands Matrimandir built in the form of a
globe, it's a place for quiet concentration. There are 80 settlements and 1500
people engaged in various activities like reforestation, organic agriculture,
health care, village development etc. At present it is managed by the Auroville
foundation.
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Chidamabaram :
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Spread across 58 kms, Nataraja, the Lord of Dance, is believed to have
performed his Cosmic Dance here. On the gateway of Chidamabaram, are carved 108
poses of the Classical dance form, Bharata Natyam.
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Getting There :
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The nearest airport is at Madras, which is
160 kms. away. Pondicherry has direct rail connections with Madras. And there
are excellent ECR roads connecting Pondicherry with Tamilnadu.
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| Pondicherry - Portrait of a Magical Town.
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