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PONDY : FACTFILE

Pondicherry town (now known as 'Puducherry') is the headquarters of the Union Territory of Pondicherry which comprises Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yaman and Mahe - four widely separated towns, the first two enclaves in Tamil Nadu, the other two enclaves in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala respectively, made one by their French connection.

Legend associates Pondicherry town with the Sage Agastya, who travelled from the north and settled here. Recorded history talks of Pondicherry being, for almost 300 years, the centre of Anglo-French conflicts, and, later, the retreat of Indian freedom fighters, including Sri Aurobindo.

Pondicherry became a French colony in 1675 and stayed with them till 1954, when Pondicherry merged with the Indian Union. Pondicherry belongs to history - at one time an obscure village, later a centre of trade with the Romans, then a place of learning.. Francois Martin, Dumes and Joseph Francois Dupleix were the most famous Governors who administered Pondicherry, which still retains its French character.

Today, the Pondicherry of the French is to be found in the policemen's red kepis, on quaint signboards, in a few houses, in the statues of Dupleix and Joan of Arc, libraries and in the accented Tamil, English and French still to be heard. But this oval-shaped township, with the streets aligned at right angles is not like any other Indian town either. Its skyline from offshore is typical of the French-influenced Mediterranean settlement as is its town-planning.

Neat, pleasant, and charming, Pondicherry has a beautiful beach and a sea that is always warm and refreshing. It has been made world-famous by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and its offshoot, Auroville. And in what still remains of its French connection there is a uniqueness that makes it different from the rest of India.

Getting Here :	Pondicherry is connected with Chennai by railway and road (170 kms). There are regular bus services. Taxis can also be hired.
Area:	492 Square Kms.
Population:	1,000,000
Literacy :	95%
Languages :	Tamil, French, English
Crops :	Cotton, Millets, Oilseeds, Rice, Sugarcane
Minerals :	Limestone Industries : Small-Scale Industry, Textiles, Liquor
Roads :	Surfaced - 459 Kms. Unsurfaced - 10 Kms. National Highways 23 Kms
Railways :	27 Kms
Airports :	Madras and Tiruchirappalli (I.A.), Pondicherry (Vayudoot)
Climate :	Rains occur principally in October, November and December with a few showers from July to September. The dry season lasts from January to July and the hottest period is from April to August . The most pleasant months are December, January and February. The mean monthly temperature varies from 24 C (January) to 30 C (June). The maximum temperature reached in May or June is sometimes 43 C.

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SIGHT SEEING

The French Connection

The 'Institute Francais' devoted to research in Indian culture, was established in 1955, by J. Filliozat, the French Indologist. Besides its Indological studies, laboratories for research in Ecology, Cartography, Palynologyand Pedology have since been established here. The results of its research are published in "Publications de l'Institut Francias d'Indologie".

Another institution dedicated to keeping French tradition alive in Pondicherry, is the Alliance Francaise, which conducts French language classes and arranges cultural programmes and talks in French.

The Romain Rolland Library, the public library, has an invaluabale collection of more than 60,000 rare French Books.

Houses Of Bharathi, Bharathidasan And Ananda Rangapillai

Subramanya Bharathi, the Tamil poet-revolutionary whose pen was an important weapon during India's freedom struggle, sought refuge in this French enclave when the British made life impossible for him elsewhere in South India. At No. 20, Easwaran Koil Street, where he lived in Pondicherry, Bharathi composed some of his finest patriotic songs and such immortal works of Tamil literature as the Panchali Sabadham, Kannan Pattu and Kuyil Pattu.

Bharatidasan, another great poet, was inspired by Subramanya Bharathi, whom he regarded as his guru. He won the Sahitya Akademi award for his play "Pisirandayar". He lived at No.95, Perumal Koil Street. The houses of both Bharathi and Bharathidasan are now maintained as memorials and are places of pilgrimage for Tamil-lovers.

Ananda Rangapillai lived at No. 69-C, Rue Rangapillai (Maison Ananda Rangapillai). His palatial house is an excellent piece of 18th century architecture, a unique blend of French and Eastern styles. Ananda Rangapillai is the famous diarist of Dupleix's time. The records he maintained of the events between 1736 and 1760 are an invaluable source of information on the history of Pondicherry and the French India that age.

Jipmer

The Jawaharlal Institute of Post-graduate Medical Education and Research is one of the six such outstanding medical institutions in India. Situated in sylvan surroundings, JIPMER is a complex of artistically-designed modern buildings and includes, on its campus, a 600-bed Teaching Hospital and the Students' and Nurses' Hostels. Residential Quarters for the staff and a playground.

Museum

Occupying the premises of what was formerly the Government Library is the Pondicherry Museum - a treasure-house of antiques. Besides a section on French India with rooms done in typical French style, the museum devotes sections to Archaeology, Geology, Sculpture, Bronzes, Arms, Print, Handicraft and Art.

The pride of the museum is a cot supposed to have been used by Dupleix and a pousse-pousse -the rickshaw look-alike that was a popular mode of transport in 18th century Pondicherry.

Beach

For sun-bathing, swimming or merely strolling, Pondicherry's beach and the 1 1/2 km-long promenade alongside, are the most delightful parts of the city. On the beach front is a statue of Mahatma Gandhi surrounded by eight, exquisitely carved monolithic pillars and a War Memorial raised by the French in honour of those who died in World War I.

Raj Nivas

The former palace of Dupleix is now the residence of Pondicherry's Lieutenant Governor. Across the road from Raj Nivas is the Government Park.

Botanical Gardens

The gardens were planned by C.S. Perrotet and laid out in 1826. They have been meticulously maintained ever since. The garden preserves a large variety of exotic species of plants.

Temples

There are more than 350 temples in and around Pondicherry, 75 of them dedicated to Vinayakar.

The Varadaraja Temple and Villenour's Thyirukameswarar Temple both date to the 12th century. Inscriptions found in the former relate the existence of a Sanskrit College in Pondicherry.

The Car Festival of Thirukameswarar Temple attracts thousands of pilgrims every year. Other celebrated temples are: Manakula Vinayakar temple, Tiruvandar Siva temple, Chengazhunir Amman temple and the Bahur temple of Srimoolanathar.

Churches

The large number of 18th and 19th century Churches in Pondicherry is yet another legacy left by the French.

Notable are: The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Eglise de Notre Dame de la Conception, the Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges, the Eglise de Notre Dame de Lourdes and the Chapel of the Sisters of Cluny.

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• Theosophical Society :
  The Society was founded in 1875 by Madame Blavatsky Colonel Olcott. The Headquarters were moved to Madras in 1882 and housed in an elegant mansion surrounded by 120 hectares of beautiful gardens in Adyar on the banks of the river. The 400 year old Banyan Tree in the grounds spreads over an area of 40,000sq.ft. is one of the world's largest tree.

• Other Worth Visiting Places :
  - Elliot's Beach in Adyar, just south of it is Kalakshetra; a famed school dedicated to traditional South Indian dance forms and crafts and carnatic music. Birla Planetorium built in memory of B.M. Birla, the well known industrialist and visionary, the Planetorium is considered to be the most modern in the country.
  - Other buildings worth looking out includes, the Wesleyan Church, the Armenian Church of the Holy Virgin Mary, Pachiyappa's Hall, Wallajah Mosque and the Thousand Lights Mosque.

• Shore Temples :
  Every travellers talked to Mamalapuram as "Seven Pagodas" which some claim to mean that there were originally seven temples on the shore, six of which have now slipped into the sea. The existing temple is considered as World Heritage Monument.
  The Whole is set in one large temple courtyard surrounded by statues of bulls and lions. There are three shrines, with unusually, Shiva and Vishnu sharing their quarters. There are also the remains of a number of Mandapams and other buildings within in the courtyard.
• Arjuna's Penance :
  This is a massive bas relief, 27m long and 9m high high carved along the curve of the hill just behind the buss stand. It is thought to be one of the largest in the world. It is commonly known as Arjuna's penance. Dominated by the massive elephants, it is a mass of details, with extraordinary lively animals, people and Gods, all gathered together.
• Krishna Mandapam :
  A rock cut temple of the mid seventh century tells a story from the life of Krishna.
• The Cave Temples :
  The rock cut temples are clustered together, along with a number of other fragmentary sculptures, on the massive granite outcrop to the west of the village. A vast granite boulder lodged on the edge of a smooth rocky slope is known as Krishna's butter ball. Next to this is the Ganesha Ratha, a small, free standing monolithic shrine, carved between 665-80. The Varaha temple has a small rock cut shrine with a mandapam and bathing tank in front. It was dedicated to Vishnu, and was probably carved between 640-74. The next major temple is the Mahisanardini cave, built between 640-74 and dedicated to Shiva. It is a triple celled temple with a mandapam in front.
• The Five Rathas :
  

  Also known as the Pancha rathas, after the five Pandya brothers of the Mahabharatha, these stand clustered together, about 1km south of the main village. Monolithic temple cars, they are some of the earliest examples of what later become one of the main architectural features of southern temples.

• Kailasanatha temple :
  Built in that 8th century by Raja Simha and dedicated to Shiva. The main rectangular temple has several intricately carved panels, including one showing a dance contest between Shiva and Parvathi. The outer wall of the enclosure holds 58 small shrines, showing different aspects of Shiva, each with a nandi at its feet.
• Sri Vaikuntha Perumal temple:
  The second historic pallava temple in Kanchipuram is the Vaikuntha Perumal, built in the 8th century by Nandivarman Pallava. The unusual sanctum is in the form of a free-standing, three storey tower, each storey holding an image of Vishnu in the reclining, sitting and standing position.
• Ekambareswarar temple :
  This sprawls over 12-14 hectares with innumerable shrines, mandapas, gopuras and tanks. The Linga in the main sanctum is of sand, representing the element of earth. The temple has five prakaras. A huge mandapa had 1000 pillars once, but only 616 survive today.
• Sri Kamakshi Amman temple :
  It is dedicated to the Goddess Kamakshi is one of the three places of Sakthi worship in the country. It is with Sri Sankara that the temple is more closely associated. The town also hosts the Kama Kodi Pitham established by Adi Sankara.
• Sri Varadaraja Perumal temple :
  

  This is built on an elephant-shaped hillock called Hastagiri, on which Brahma himself is said to have made a sacrifice. It has a 1000 pillar hall, two gopurams and a famous ornamental chain said to be carved from a single piece of stone.
• Weavers:
  Kanchipuram is one of the main centres in Southern India for both silk and cotton weaving, with more than 5,000 families in the town involved.

VISITING THE ASHRAM AND AUROVILLE

Sri Aurobindo Ashram

The Ashram main building was the abode of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother during most of their stay in Pondicherry. In the inner courtyard is the Samadhi of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The Ashram is open to all for Darshan during fixed hours every day.

The Ashram is a Registered Trust, founded by the Mother. The Ashram community comprises of about 1200 persons. The inmates live and work in several buildings spread all over the town of Pondy.

Auroville

Auroville, at the moment, is formed of several communities, scattered along the border of Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu. These areas are situated 5 to 10 km. North of the main Ashram Building. Auroville is administered by the Auroville Foundation whose members are nominated by the Government of India.

Accommodation For Visitors

Several guest houses for visitors are maintained by Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the Society at Pondicherry. The charges vary according to the amenities available. The meals can be taken either in the guest houses or in the Ashram Dining Room. Whenever possible, it is preferable to book the accomodation in advance. A pass, which should be always carried with oneself, is issued to the visitors from the guest houses where they are staying. For the pass-holders the Ashram gates are open for meditation from 4.30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Visitors can attend general talks or cultural programmes organised at the Ashram. They can participate in the evenings. Special passes can be obtained for visiting Sri Aurobindo's room. Visitors can use the facilities of the Ashram library and reading room. If they are staying for a longer period they can, if they like, take up some work in an Ashram department and do it as an offering.

Tour Of The Ashram

At 8.15 a.m. a conducted tour is arranged from the Reception Office and a few departments of the Ashram are shown. The departments are scattered all over the town, so a sadhak accompanies the visitors. The tour generally takes 3 hours by bus. There are no tours on Darshan Days and holidays.

Tour Of Auroville

Daily trips to Matrimandir, Auroville are conducted. For more information contact :

Sri Aurobindo Autocare Services
18 Ambur Salai
Pondicherry 605 001
Phone : 2336586

Web : http://www.sriaurobindoautocare.com
Email: autocare@vsnl.com

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ACCOMMODATION IN PONDICHERRY

Society Guest Houses

Sea Side Guest House
14 Goubert Avenue, Pondicherry 605 001 phone : 2336494 2221825, 2331716

International Guest House
47, Gingee Salai, Pondicherry 605 001 phone : 2336699/ 2221812

Good Guest House
12 Dumas Street, Pondicherry 605 001

Shelter Guest House,
26 Dumas Street, Pondicherry 605 001

Samarpan Guest House
3 Rue Suffren, Pondicherry 605 001 phone : 2338972

Ashram Guest Houses

Park Guest House
1 Goubert Avenue, Beach Road, Pondicherry 605 001 phone : 4433312

Cottage Guest House
3 Rangapillai Street, Pondicherry 605 001 phone : 2338434

Oriya Nilayam
7 Victor Asiamonel Street, Pondicherry 605 001 phone : 2340125

Local Accommodation (Hotels)

Ananda Inn, Anna Salai-1

Aditya, 104,Kamaraj Salai-11

Pondichery Ashok, Chinna Kalapet-104

Mass, M. M. Salai-5

Ram International, 398, Anna Salai-1

Surguru, 140, S.V. Salai-1

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