Pondicherry

Brief Introduction
The most beautiful Union Territories in India, Pondicherry is a spiritual beach town. The old French flavor is distinctly visible in its gardens, churches, monuments, mansions, clear, wide roads that still carry the French name. Today Pondicherry is famous because of its relation with Sri Aurobindo. Renowned for palm-fringed beaches, scenic fishing villages, serene backwaters and French boulevard towns, Pondicherry is also a famous stage where several art festivals and cultural programs are conducted every year. The city has an attractive unique architecture; the entire city is constructed in a grid pattern.

Main Attractions

Auroville
Famous as the city of dawn, Auroville is a universal town where people live peacefully irrespective of any caste or color issues. Near 50 languages are spoken here. Called as the golden globe, the entire city is in the shape of  a galaxy. Matrimandir is a major attraction here which is the temple of attraction. It is a 30 m high globe and a lotus shaped fountain urn. Promenade Beach- It is one of the most prominent beaches in Pondicherry. On the sea front, there are several land marks- the war memorial, the statue of Joan of Arc, statue of Mahatma Gandhi, an old light house all of these are the remnants of the past. One can relax or take a stroll at any time of the day here. However swimming is not possible here because of seawalls.

Navgrah temples
The temples are dedicated to the nine planets. The huge temple complex consists of 9 shrines built in Dravidian style. It is surrounded by 108 trees for different years, planets, stars and so on.

Aayi Mandapam
It is one of the wonderful monuments in the centre of Government Park. Going by the history, it was built in 16th century. It was named after a lady courtesan called Ayi. She destroyed her own house to erect a water reservoir to supply water for the city.

Hotels in Pondicherry

• The Promenade
• Accord Puducherry
• Ginger Pondicherry
• Bon Sejour Hotel
• The Ashok Beach Resort
• The Windflower Resort and Spa

Connectivity
Air: The nearest airport to Pondicherry is Chennai International Airport which is connected to all airports in India.
Rail: Pondicherry has its own railway station and is connected to major parts of the country.
Road: Pondicherry is well connected by roads. There are 2 main roads to reach the place- NH 45 and ECR (East Coast Road).