Pondicherry, quiet and serene, sits on the Coromandel coast on the south eastern seaboard of India. It is a quaint, enchanting place quite unlike anything else in India. Having once been the capital of the French empire in India, the heritage of this town has a special flavor.

The old French quarter has retained its colonial aura of magnificent public buildings and villas drenched in tropical sunshine. Its relaxed cafes hidden among quiet bougainvilleas lined streets bearing old French names serve French and creole Pondicherry cuisines. But the old villas hide one of India’s most surprising and dynamic lifestyles. The large expat population at the international city of Auroville www.auroville-india.org and the presence of one of India’s most fascinating Ashrams, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram (www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in) has created an unusually cosmopolitan and innovative community. Pondicherry is a shoppers paradise with leather crafts, hand made paper, herbal incense, pottery , textiles from the many craft workshops and artists from all over the world resident here.

Pondicherry lulls you into an experience of enchanting charm, of a few days spent on a bicycle or on foot wandering through the old cathedrals and temples, then visiting the brand new modern architecture of Auroville and the ultra modern interiors of designer hotels and restaurants in ancient villas. Pondicherry is a town of contrasts, of quiet old town and noisy fishmarkets, of a heritage well preserved in India’s smallest state that is also its most literate and best governed. You feel the buzz and energy of modern India in its people, but in its Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville is practised India’s greatest gift to the world, its art of yoga and meditation. Both the Ashram and Auroville welcome guests into their activities.

What to see:
  The old French town with its quiet streets.
  The old cathedrals and the old public buildings.
  The Ashram with its Samadhi ( where the gurus of the Ashram are buried)
  Auroville with the Matrimandir ( the central dome for meditation)
  The Visitors Centre being the first stops.

Shopping: Casablanca, Kalki, Boutique d”Auroville, the antique shops scattered along the road as you enter Pondicherry and innumerable other small craft shops.