Colonial life in India has a long past, but it is not restricted to only British era. Several other names join the list. One of them influencing some parts of the south, is France. The colonial influence of the French was limited but impactful. France and India has had a great deal of understanding and partnerships when it comes to commerce, trade, tourism and education.

A trip to Pondicherry (known as Puducherry now) was quite an interesting feeling to experience such a diverse mix of French colonial buildings, and architecture with that of Indian ones.

I started my journey with a sudden plan and the urge to explore a new region of India. I took 3 trains to reach Pondicherry from Bangalore to Chennai and further to Villupuram and Puducherry.

As I arrived to my guest house designed in colonial times, with yellow walls and brown windows, the feeling was great.

The whole town of Pondicherry is divided in several parts and to start with one of the most prestigious part, I took a scooter trip around the promenade in White town. For me exploring any city is a classy affair; especially when you do not know what to expect and Pondicherry will surprise you at every step.

The promenade has a bunch of administrative buildings as well as many hotels, with the hustle of the locals and some drops of rain it was an impeccable feeling of content from a short holiday.

Later I went on discovering some nearby areas of the city. The scene is interesting as well as disturbing at some points as the development in the white town is beyond expectations when comparing to other parts of Pondicherry with usual scenes from Indian traffic and chaos.

A lot is going on in this whole area along with Auroville - a village near by to Pondicherry. The whole experience I have tried to separate to get the best vision of my trip.

 

 The Ashram

The Ashram of Aurobindo Ghosh, a great personality in Indian history, is in the centre of the white town. The surroundings of the ashram are serene and the feeling is peaceful. The Ashram is also involved with creation of incense, publishing books and making soaps in order to support underprivileged ones. The ashram is where Aurobindo and the figure called the mother (Mirra Alfassa) are buried. It’s quite an enchanting place with a vibe of tranquility and relaxation. One could also meditate for a while in the ashram near the grave of Sri Aurobindo. There is a bookstore inside of the ashram carrying intense works of Aurobindo and mother. Aurobindo in the early 20th century moved to Pondicherry in order to get away from the political surroundings and focus more on life of Yoga, work and karma. Sri Aurobindo was a visionary and have had a great deal of interest to liberate India; but after a few incidences in 1908 with throwing a bomb on a British carriage and missing it, he went to Alipore Jail and there he had his time to relax and feel his spirituality inside. In 1910 when the British forces were looking for him for a signed petition over liberation of India, he was hiding and ultimately reached Pondicherry, where he started his yogic, and spiritual journey.

Mother - Mirra Alfassa

Mother or Mirra Alfassa, a French woman who devoted her life to promote the teachings of Sri Aurobindo. She is the one who helped in creation of the ashram and later inspired the creation of the township of Auroville. Mother came to India in early 20th century and met with Sri Aurobindo and later came back after few years to dedicate her life to the teachings of Sri Aurobindo. Mother has done a lot for this region and a lot of development happened after her arrival and later settlement in the region. In 1930 she became in charge of the Ashram and its happenings when there were around 80-100 followers and, the title Mother helped her run things smoothly under her control.

Life in Pondicherry

There exist a variety of blogs, books, and information which will help you figure out the best places to stay, eat and live like a local. But in my experience a few of them were really striking and extraordinary but some of those were just overrated.

Auroville

It is believed that there exist a big Banyan tree, which was the only one in area, being protected by a lady; as all other trees were cut down by the villagers and the land of Auroville was a barren land with problems of soil erosion. When Mirra Alfassa or the mother decided to build this township/community, she chase this specific place and today there exists over a million trees in the area.

In my understanding, Auroville is a theme park for those who wish to spend life away from the capitalist society more towards a meditative society. If you are planning a trip to Pondicherry, Auroville is a must. Auroville can be divided into a few parts namely - 

 - The theme

Auroville was a dream project of mother, where she brought life to a balanced nature. She believed that a place can be for all. The area is huge and is situated around the matrimandir and visitor’s centre. There are a lot of places hosting the 2800 Aurovillians from 50+ nations.

This place is quite a lot in its charter, once used to be Barren lands now, millions of trees and a lot of greenery surrounds it. This whole process of development has lead Auroville from once a vision to now a happening reality with a constant development.

 - MatriMandir

The Golden sphere like structure in the missile of Auroville, used for meditation is called MatriMandir. This establishment is structurally sound and technically advances. Made with a special gold plated thin sheets under a glass protected laid, the whole place is lit by using solar power.  If visiting this place, need to register on first day and visit the next. You can join the tour next day at 8:30 AM; if time is limited you can take the walk to the view point for images only from a distant. The tours are free of charge and are well managed by the local Aurovillians.

 

 - Food

There are several spots to eat in and around Auroville. One of my best experiences was to eat on a farm called Solitude, they serve a thali after the farm walk. The food is limited so the best time to be here is around 12:30 PM.

There is a cafe next to visitors centre and a bunch of places on the way to auro beach for good food and coffee.

 - Auro living

Auroville started as a vision of an equal and unbiased society. A place where people would come and give their time and efforts to develop this whole project also names as Karma yoga. Today is quite an establishment and has come far to be one of a kind  where people are not divided by any religion or political views, rather they are united by the thought process of living in peace and harmony.

 - The vision

The Vision of mother, once was to build the small village into something magical now has come to a very interesting development phase as 2800 Aurovillians and much more people with the will to be in this place showed me how important such projects are for a future of sustainable living of mankind. So a definite visit when in the southern part of India to enjoy the culture, heritage, colonial influence, food, nature and a lot more.

Places to visit 

Sri Aurobindo Ashram

Colonial architecture in White town

Auroville 

Promenade

Sri Aurobindo Ashram press

Organic farms in Auroville

Cottage industries incense making studio on MG road

Concert in Story Teller’s pub

Places to Eat 

Cafe des Arts - They have a variety of breakfast options to choose from and have always served some good food. It maybe a bit pricy but that is like all places owned by internationals in the white town.

 

Eat my cake  - This one can be an amazing breakfast destination if you have a sweet tooth and love for some good coffee. Freshly made cakes to empower local women who are making them in the shop. Their chocolate cakes and banana crumble go great with some nice americano coffee

 

Surguru or Surguru Spot - If you are vegetarian the best option for vegetarian/vegan South Indian food is Surguru. The prices are very reasonable and the taste is unbeatable. I really enjoyed the porotta with the yogurt sauce and the paper masala dosa.

 

Hotel Shanti  - This was by far the best place to eat in town, may you wanna grab a drink, lunch or dinner; the place is always quite packed and buzzing with locals and tourists. A great place to also hang out and make some good local acquaintances. It is a part of the hotel and is made very nicely to maintain colonial look as well as modern influence. They offer a full bar as well as great options for food choices. Prawns in coriander and curry sauce were the best with Garlic naan.

 

Hotel Promenade - The rooftop of hotel Promenade is also worth a try for dinner as they offer a variety of food options and a full bar, with some nice sea view.

Places to Shop

Naushad Ali - A great collection of designer clothing for men and women along with some trendy items from other designers in accessories section.

 

Janaki - A collection of some local artist work of Pondicherry and Auroville. Some good collections of clothing, furniture and imitation jewellery by designers, but rather on a pricier end.

 

La Boutique d'Auroville - A little pricey affair but some decent collections near the visitor’s centre.

 

Kalki Auroville - Another good place for local artisan work from Auroville and Pondicherry.