Why visit Pondicherry
- Location of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram
- Pondicherry has an eclectic mix of heritage and culture
Established in the late 17th century by François Martin, the first director of the French East India Company, the town is laid out in a grid pattern, with parallel streets cutting across each other at right angles. Its main promenade, the 3 kilometre-long Goubert Salai, running along the Bay of Bengal, formed part of the French quarter, with its elegant colonial mansions, tree lined boulevards, parks, bars and cafes. Colonial buildings, some which trace back to the 18th century, lie along a grid of straight clean streets and house the French institutions, private homes and businesses, and the sprawling premises of the famous Sri Aurobindo Ashram, the spiritual retreat founded in 1926 by Sri Aurobindo and a Frenchwoman known as The Mother. Pondicherry is a perfect base to explore the rich destinations around it. Auroville, the international City of Unity; the imposing Gingee Fort, the holy temple towns of Kanchipuram, Tiruvannamalai and Chidambaram, the heritage sculptures and magnificent rock temples of Mamallapuram, and the cool and lush hill stations of Yercaud and Kodaikanal are all easily accessible.
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