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| Puducherry |
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 Puducherry,
formerly known as Pondicherry, is a quiet little town located
on the Coromandel Coast of South India by the Bay of Bengal,
about 160 kms south of Chennai. Its buildings reflecting the
French architectural style, its neat and tree lined roads, its
beautiful beaches, its mystical air, its amazing churches leave
every visitor rich with memories and experiences to be cherished
life long. Puducherry is also famous for the Aurobindo Ashram,
an international institution that teaches meditation and Yoga.
And this is why it is the ultimate destination if one is looking
for spiritual, mental and physical rejuvenation. |
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| GETTING
HERE |
The closest airport
is in Chennai (160 kms or 3-4 hrs by road). Chennai has excellent
connections with almost all cities in India and direct connections
with Europe, USA, Middle East and South East Asia.
Villupuram is the nearest railhead and it is fairly well connected
to places like Chennai, Madurai and Trichy. From Villupuram
one can get a bus or taxi to Puducherry.
Puducherry is best accessed by road, either by bus or by taxi.
There are frequent buses, almost every 15 minutes in the day,
from Chennai. There are frequent buses from places like Chidambaram,
Thanjavur, Trichy and Coimbatore too. |
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| WHAT
TO SEE |
| Important
sightseeing options in Puducherry are Children’s Park
& Dupleix Statue, The Mairie (charming white French building,
facing the sea), Gandhi Statue (surrounded by eight magnificent
granite pillars), French War Memorial, Nehru Statue, 19th Century
Light House (seaside), Bharathi Park, Aayi Mandapam, Romain
Rolland Library, Puducherry Museum (grand two-storey building
with a collection of rare bronzes and stone sculptures from
the Pallava and Chola dynasties, remnants of Greek and Roman
jars, Geology room, a shell and fossil room and a collection
of handicrafts, coins, church relics and French furniture),
The Church of Our Lady of the Angels at Dumas Street, The Statue
of Joan of Arc at Dumas Street and Curio Centre at Romain Rolland
Street (leading shop for antique |
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furniture
and curios), Ola Place (square with park on either side), Raj
Niwas, Cercle de Pondicherry (local club), the Duplex and the
Botanical Gardens.
Auroville (10 kms from Puducherry, it has a spiritual retreat,
the Aurobindo Ashram. Auroville is envisioned as a Universal
Town, where people from different nationalities, faiths and
beliefs can live in peace and harmony), Puducherry Beaches (lovely
beaches like Serenity Beach, Paradise Beach, Karaikal Beach,
Mahe Beach) and Ousteri Lake (picnic spot). Ousteri and Kaliveli
near Puducherry are birdwatchers' paradise. Kaliveli is famous
for flamingoes and other water birds. |
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