Pondicherry: Peace and beauty

Tripoto
17th Jan 2014
Photo of Pondicherry: Peace and beauty 1/9 by Ajanta K Hazarika
Photo of Pondicherry: Peace and beauty 2/9 by Ajanta K Hazarika
Photo of Pondicherry: Peace and beauty 3/9 by Ajanta K Hazarika
Photo of Pondicherry: Peace and beauty 4/9 by Ajanta K Hazarika
Photo of Pondicherry: Peace and beauty 5/9 by Ajanta K Hazarika
Photo of Pondicherry: Peace and beauty 6/9 by Ajanta K Hazarika
Photo of Pondicherry: Peace and beauty 7/9 by Ajanta K Hazarika
Photo of Pondicherry: Peace and beauty 8/9 by Ajanta K Hazarika
Photo of Pondicherry: Peace and beauty 9/9 by Ajanta K Hazarika
Pondicherry, a beach city, known as a union territory lies in the eastern coastline of India. The Bay of Bengal necklaces the long Eastern coast. The drive from Chennai to Pondy through the East Coast Road gives you a magnificent view with coconut trees, beaches and the Bay of Bengal escorting you all the way to pondy.
Pondycherry now termed as Puducherry, is a very peaceful town where spirituality comes with an assortment of aesthetics. To List down I will start with the Matri mandir located in the heart of Auroville . Matri Mandir is built  in the shape of a huge Golden Globe balanced on four pillars and supported by 12 petals like structures. Now the twist is inside the globe where there is a huge empty space for meditation and the inside is not illuminated by artificial light but by sunlight.the source of light being a crystal ball at the top centre opening for the globe which projects the sunlight straight toward another crystal ball at the bottom centre of the globe. and taaadaaahh!!! The room brightens up with the mild light projected from the crystal. And the petals also are individual meditation rooms each with a specific color and theme to gain concentration. The Auroville is an international township initiated by The Mother and Sri Aurobindo in the year 1968 to propagate brotherhood and spirituality among all irrespective of their nationality or religion.  And more than 100 countries contributed soil to this spiritual architecture. Auroville is full of activity with lots of  foreigners and locals volunteering and working here for social welfare that feeling of Brotherhood overcomes even before you realize it.
In this mist of spirituality, the next best place to visit is the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, a spiritual community where you can sit and concentrate  the silence and attain a moment of divine peace or you can also go through the book corner of the Ashram and can buy books that relates to your spirituality.   The silence in the atmosphere of the Ashram will revive your mind and body. The whole of Pondy is divided in white town and black town. the Ashram is a part of the white town and so coming out of it, you can take a stroll in The White town, experiencing the fine French Architecture i.e the white building, clean and smooth lanes, the french routes and   a number of french restaurants.
And of course, The Promenade Beach, the long rocky beach parallel to the white town. An evening in the rocky beach is a must see, the horizon and the noisy sea on one side and the colorful French Architecture on the other divided by an array of tall yellow street lights.  Moreover, the Promenade Beach also have the four meter statue of Mahatma Gandhi surrounded by  eight Granite pillars. And also the  2.88 m tall statue of Dupleix stands on southern part of the park. In the evening, this place comes to life with lots of people on the go, tourist, joggers, vendors, musicians, artisans, restaurants.  And the place buzzed with lights and noise and the roar of the sea waves. sometimes, you can even see the distant light of boats in the sea and at times, if lucky, the moon smiles and reflects on the dark ocean waters of the night.
The morning should be greeted by viewing the sunrise  in the Bay of Bengal in the local sandy beaches. However, if you are planning a picnic on a beach than you should definitely visit The Paradise Beach. Its a small sandy beach island located in the outskirts and accessible from Chunnambar Resort. 
Now if you are staying in Pondy on a sunday, then sunday market is something you shouldnt miss!! On a sunday all the streets in the market will be crowded with stalls and vendors selling clothes and ornaments at very attractive prices.  everything comes very cheap in the street, its crowded and rush and you have to fight your way to get the best pick before somebody else picks it up!
Now the trip is not over without the gastronomy experience. Pondy is one place where you can enjoy the any cuisine that suits your taste. pondy offers a vast variety of Indian cuisines from Punjabi parathas to other north indian and south indian delicacies. And internationally Pondy offers from Italian, french to Tibetian momos.
Pondy has something of its own also that is a fusion of Tamil and French food. If you visit Pondicherry you should definitely eat in Tantos, Maison Perumal, and Le Cafe to enjoy awesome food and great setting that will definitely make your day.