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| General Information about PONDICHERRY |
Pondicherry :
Area : 492 sq km
Languages : Tamil, Telugu, Malayam, Hindi, French and English.
State : Pondicherry
STD Code : 0413 |
About Pondicherry
Pondicherry, a port town on Coromondal Coast was formerly the chief French settlement in India. Once a French colony, Pondicherry still has a few French families living there and French is an important language. The French spirit can be discerned in the very layout of the township.
On 1, November 1954 Pondicherry was transferred to India. A treaty of Cessation (together with Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam) was signed on May 28, 1956. It became a Union Territory to be administered by the President of India in 1962 under the 14th Amendment of the Indian Constitution.
HOW TO REACH
By Air : Nearest Airport - Madurai and Chennai.
By Rail : Nearest railhead are at Madras, Villupuram. Another way is to take a train from Bangalore to Cuddalore.
By Road : Cane be easily reach from any of the neighbouring states. Pondicherry is best accessible by road from Chennai, Bangalore and even from Kerala.
PLACES TO VISIT IN PONDICHERRY
• AUROBINDO ASHRAM : The main building comprises the houses of Shri Aurobindo and The Mother (Mirra Alfassa, a French woman who accepted Aurobindo as her spiritual mentor and guide and later became his most important disciple). In the courtyard are the samadhis of Aurobindo and The Mother where their mortal remains have been enshrined. Visitors are allowed to visit the samadhi between 8am and 6pm everyday. The other places of interest in the Ashram complex are the International Education Centre, guest houses, libraries and the cottage industries.
• Beach : The beaches are the best to visit in Pondicherry.The 1500 metre long beach that borders the town on the eastern side is clean and is an ideal place for swimming and sun bathing. There are two monuments of historical importance on the beach. One is the 4m. tall statue of Mahatma Gandhi and the other is the War Memorial, built by the French in commemoration of the soldiers who died in the First World War. The Light House which stands 29m. high is further down the beach and is over 150 years old.
• Government Park : The Government Park is the centre of old colonial part of the town and provides a cool and lush green anchor around which most government buildings are situated: the Lt. Governor's Palace, the Legislative Assembly, Government Hospital, but also the Ashram Dining Room in a beautiful Villa, the Cercle de Pondichery, which is a private club, and old Hotel Qualité.
• French Institute : Situated on Dumas street, this internationally acclaimed institute was established by the renowned French Indologist Dr. J. Fillozet in 1995. The institute has separate sections on science, technology, ecology, cartography, pedagogy, Indian languages and culture. The Romain Rolland Library has a collection of over 60,000 books, some of which are rare French volumes. The institute conducts research in arts and sciences and is perhaps the only permanent link with France in Pondicherry.
• JIPMER : This is one of the foremost medical institutions in the country. JIPMER, which is Jawaharlal Institute of Post-graduate Medical Education and Research, was established 20 years ago and is one of the most prestigious institutions of its kind in the country.
• Botanical Gardens : Just off West Boulevard, the gardens planned by C.S. Perrotet in 1826, have a good collection of exotic flowering plants from India and abroad. There is also an aquarium here which has some rare species of ornamental fish.
• Museum : Opened in 1984, this museum has on display some fine antiques apart from sections devoted to archaeology, geology, sculpture, handicrafts, objects of art, printing and armaments. Among the exhibits on display are the bed used by Dupleix, a palanquin and a pousse-pousse which resembles a rickshaw.
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