Pondicherry - India

Many of my friends have been making multiple trips to this beautiful city over the years but I never quite made it all that way, till recently. Now that I have gone there and experienced the Pondicherry way of life, I can totally understand their love for this place.

Pondicherry is the capital of the Union Territory of Pondicherry. This territory is surrounded by Tamil Nadu and shares quite a lot of its cultural traits. But that's not all. This area was also a French colonial settlement till 1954 so there are a lot of French influences that still exist within it. Right from the food and architecture, to language! 

Depending on the quarter you decide to stay in,  locals here speak French, English and Tamil

The best time to visit Pondicherry is December till March end. Locals are used to dealing with foreigners and are willing to help you if you have a problem. 

How do you reach here ?

There is an airport here but flights are mostly chartered. For most tourists, the best way to get here is through Chennai. Since this was our first trip to Chennai and also to Pondicherry, we decided to ask our hostesses in Pondicherry to organize the transport. It takes about 4 hours to get from Chennai to the French quarters in Pondicherry.

Beautifully restored property in the French Quarter

My partner and I love old, restored properties and the place we chose to stay in was just perfect. Tranquil and rejuvenating right from the time we entered the property. Our hostesses had a few rules which we thought were fair and very reasonable. Eg. within the property, we could only walk with the footwear they provided, cellphones needed to be on silent mode, loud talking wasn't permitted and this was an adults-only property. We were treated to delicious Indian style vegetarian breakfast every morning and if you wanted, you could ask for eggs, jam and bread as well. There were plenty of beautiful boulangeries around this area where you could enjoy different food right from authentic croissants baked by French bakers to dosas and idlis made by Tamilian chefs.

A few of my favourite hangouts for food were Villa Shanti,  Palais de Mahe, Coromandel Cafe and Le Dupleix in the French Quarter. In the old town market area, there is a fantastic place that serves authentic Tamilian vegetarian thaali. Surguru is always crowded with hungry locals and tourists. The serving staff is extremely efficient and you don't need to wait too long. The food is probably the best vegetarian I have had in all my years of travel. Perfectly spiced, extremely nutritious, well balanced and at really affordable rates. If you hire a rickshaw (tuk-tuk), it would take you about 20 minutes to get there from the French quarter.
There is also a beautiful Hidesign store in the same area. Hidesign is an Indian brand that sells gorgeous leather bags and wallets. Well worth a visit if you like purses.

Temple in old town

Overall in the French quarter, you will find several shops selling local stone work curios, spices, cotton clothing and wooden furniture.

We found the clothing to be slightly overpriced and found better deals in the old town but for the rest, look no further than this quarter.
The architecture in Pondicherry is a good mix of French and Indian styles and this melange gives this place a very unique look. The colours used are typically vibrant and go very well with the landscape. 

Two places that you must visit when in Pondicherry are the Aurobindo Ashram which is in the old town and Auroville which is a commune about an hour's drive from the city.

You can find all the information about the Ashram on their website. Please note, you need to take out your footwear in a designated area before entering so its a good idea to wear slippers if you plan a visit.

Auroville is a commune/ ashram that was founded in 1968 by "Mother" and designed by French architect,  Roger Anger. It's based in the Viluppuram district in Tamil Nadu with some parts spread around in the Union Territory of Pondicherry. Auroville means City of Dawn.  The purpose of this commune is to realize human unity. Mother/Mirra Alfassa's goal was to create a universal town where woman and men from all countries felt at home. 

Within Auroville ashram, there are zones where you will find many volunteers from all countries running workshops, canteen, selling locally made jams, honey, paper items, silk goods etc. 

My favourite area was undoubtedly the MatriMandir. It's a gold metallic sphere in the centre of the commune which is surrounded by landscaped gardens. This beautiful sphere is equipped with solar power. After the sun sets, the light on the globe is replaced by a beam from a solar powered light. It looks absolutely stunning at dusk. If you want to enter the Mandir, you need to take an appointment. Please note, this place is a peace zone and no noise whatsoever is allowed inside.  

Overall this commune has several zones like the cultural zone as mentioned above. Then there is a residential zone where you can choose to stay (check their website for details and availability). There is also a huge green belt which is used to grow herbs and vegetables. If you are based in Pondicherry and want to visit Auroville just for a day, please try and be here by 10 am so you have the entire day to walk around and explore the place. 

We stayed in Pondicherry for 3 nights and I wish we had planned a day or two more just to soak in the local culture and participate in cooking workshops. Hopefully, we can plan a trip again some time soon!

On your way back to Chennai, I would recommend a stopover to see the marvelous temple complex of Mahabalipuram. I will be covering that in detail in the coming few weeks. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this article. As always, if you have questions, feel free to leave me a comment below or email me at aajisthaali@gmail.com

Thank you!