Pondicherry _April 3rd,4rth

Posted by Poornima Belawaadi

It was time for yet another weekend trip and this time I chose Pondicherry ! Yes, the most awaited in my list.We started off from Bangalore on 2nd(Thursday) night and reached Pondi by 7 AM . After roaming around for room we finally found a nice guest house ,Le Cynge Blanc ! We discussed with our friendly guest house owner Mr.Bala regarding the places and finally decided to hire a two wheeler for the travel.

Le Cynge Blanc

Kitchen

Le Cynge Blanc

Day 1 :

1. Basilica of the Scared Heart of Jesus -situated on the south boulevard of Pondicherry in Puducherry, India, is an oriental specimen of Gothic architecture. It contains rare stained glass panels depicting events from the life of Christ and saints of the Catholic Church. In recent years it has become one of the famous pilgrimage spots for Christians.Luckily we got to see hear prayers since it was Good Friday.

Basilica of Sacred Heart Jesus Exterior view

Basilica of Scared Heart Jesus, Interior view

2.Botanical Garden:The Botanical Garden is located south of the New Bus Stand. The gate leading to the garden is reminiscent of French architecture and it stands out from its immediate surroundings because it is in the middle of the old Tamil town. The Botanical Gardens were laid out in 1826 in the ornate French style, with pruned trees, flower beds and gravel lined paths and fountains.We were unfortunate since it looked ruined due to renovation !

Fossil Tree , Botanical Garden

At the entrance,Botanical Garden

3.Aurobindo Ashram :From Botanical Garden, we headed towards Sri Aurobindo Ashram is a well known and wealthy ashram in India, with devotees from India and all over the world flocking to it for spiritual salvation. Its spiritual tenets represent a synthesis of yoga and modern science. The Ashram was founded in 1926 by Sri Aurobindo Ghose, an Indian freedom fighter, poet, philosopher, and yogi.

Mirra Alfassa (also known as ‘The Mother’) was one of Auribindos followers, who was born in Paris and was so inspired by his philosophy that she stayed on in Pondicherry. After 24 November 1926, when Sri Aurobindo retired into seclusion, she founded his ashram (Sri Aurobindo Ashram), with a handful of disciples living around the Master. With Sri Aurobindo's full approval she became the leader of the community, a position she held until her death. The Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust,which she had registered after Sri Aurobindo's death in 1950 continues to look after the institution. The idea of Auroville or the "City of Dawn" was conceived by ‘The Mother’.

It is open to the public daily between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Children below 3 years of age are not allowed into the ashram and photography is allowed only with permission of the ashram authorities. Some of the ashram’s facilities like the Library and the Main Building (during collective meditation) can be accessed, only after obtaining a gate pass from the Bureau Central or some of the Ashram Guest Houses.It is located on Rue De La Marine.

Aurobindo Ashram form the outside

4.Auroville :From Aurobido Ashram, we moved to Auroville.Auroville, (City of Dawn) is an experimental township which is situated 8 km north-west of Pondicherry in East Coast Road. It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Richard (also known as The Mother), the spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo. Auroville was designed by the French architect Roger Anger. Auroville is meant to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity. During the inauguration ceremony of Auroville on 28 February 1968, soil from 124 countries was placed in a lotus-shaped urn and mixed to symbolize universal oneness. The Government of India andUNESCO has endorsed the project.

The heat was raising up and after some light refreshments, we reached back to our guest house gazing Serenity beach on the way followed by lunch and spa in the evening :)

Near the entrance of Auroville

Me with the Golden Globe at the back :)

Near the shopping area

Auroville entrance

Day 2 :

1.Villianur temple :Villianur is located at a distance of 9 kilometres south of Pondicherry municipality. It forms a part of the Pondicherry urban agglomeration.The Villianur Temple in Pondicherry is called named after the place where it is located.after the name of its place. Thus the famous temple of Sri Gokilambal Thirukameswarer, is located at "Villanur" in Pondicherry a place called "Villanur" in Pondicherry.is popularly known as the Villianur Temple.After the Darshana, we headed towards Chunambar Boat House.

Gokilambal Tirumakeshwar Temple, Villianur

2.Chunnambar Boat House :Chunnambar Boat House, the popular boating venue, is famous for its backwaters and lush greenery on either side. Tourists can enjoy boating at the Boat House situated near the Chunnambar River. This site is located at around 8 km from the main town of Pondicherry and can be reached by bus, taxi or auto rickshaw.This is a must to do activity when you are in Pondicherry, especially if you are interested in experiencing something unique and enchanting. Enjoy a ride on Chunnambar Boat House that will take you down the history lane and let you capture all your lifetime memories.

Most people take this ride to visit the pristine Paradise beach, however you can just enjoy the alluring natural scenery that moves with you as you make your way through the palm fringed narrow canals. You can treat yourself to panoramic sights of the tiny hamlets lined up along either side of the canals and see a variety of flora and fauna. Experience sheer bliss!We hired the motor boat and reached Paradise Beach by 11 AM, After spending some time time there, we moved to our guest House by 1 PM.

On the way to beach

Paradise Beach

Beach View

Restaurant in Paradise Beach

It was time for lunch at Suruguru Hotel in Mission Road followed by sound sleep.In the evening we took a long walk at the Promenade beach looking at the Mahatma Gandhi Statue and French Memorial on the way.We left Pondi by 9 PM and reached Bangalore @6 AM on Sunday morning.