List of 10 best places to visit in pondicherry in one or 2 days
1. Sri Aurobindo Ashram
The Sri Aurobindo Ashram is a spiritual group situated in Pondicherry, in the Indian
the domain of Puducherry. The ashram became out of a little group of supporters who had accumulated around Sri Aurobindo after he resigned from governmental issues and settled in Pondicherry in 1910. On 24 November 1926, after a noteworthy profound acknowledgment, Sri Aurobindo pulled back from general visibility so as to proceed with his otherworldly work. As of now, he gave over the full duty regarding the internal and external existences of the sad sacks (spiritual aspirants) and the ashram to his otherworldly associate, “the Mother”, prior known as Mirra Alfassa. This date is hence for the most part known as the establishing day of the ashram, however, as Sri Aurobindo himself thought of, it had “less been made that developed around him as its inside.
Pondicherry has become an important destination for spiritual seekers as well as tourists. Thousands of visitors from all over the world come to the ashram. The visiting hours for the visitors are from 8 am to 12 noon and then again from 2 pm to 6 pm.
Map to reach Sri Aurobindo Ashram
2. Pondicherry Museum
The Pondicherry museum is one of the best architectural places to visit in Pondicherry. It has some of the superb collections of the sculptures. It is located in the Bharathi Park. This museum has an excellent gallery with sculptures and has the remains of archaeological findings from the Arikamedu Roman settlement. One can go through the history and legendary French colonial details in the section of the museum.
There is also a very good collection of snail shells brought from the Pondicherry region. Bronze sculptures of god and goddess, a wide gathering of temple lamps, handicrafts and art are also here. Some specimens of Chola and Pallava art from Pondicherry and Karaikal are displayed in the sculpture gallery.
The painting section includes Tanjore and glass paintings, colonial prints and contemporary oils, pastels and watercolors. The geological sphere of The Puducherry Museum offers an encounter with a unexceptional collection of coins, handicrafts, and church relics. The best part is that the museum has separate sections for fossils and shells.
Map to reach Pondicherry museum
3. Botanical Garden
Pondicherry is well known for its various tourist hotspots, which attracts tourists all the year round to this destination. It is one of the best places to visit in Pondicherry for couples. The Botanical Garden in Pondicherry was opened to the public in 1826, it is located at the southern entrance of city bus stand.The Botanical Gardens situated in the center of the city provides a cool retreat from the oppressing heat and humidity of Pondicherry. It sprawls over a 22 acres area and here you can just relax and listen to the twittering of birds and explore the rich variety of flora here. The Botanical Gardens is 178 years old and here you will find each and every tree or plant labeled with scientific, common and Tamil names. This has been possible due to the efforts of Department of Tourism.
Map to reach Botanical Garden
4. Auroville
Auroville is one of the famous place to visit in Pondicherry. Auroville forms an interesting and complex experiment that takes place on more than 20 so km of scattered settlements in the midst of forested, semi-urban, and beach areas. It was established in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (known as “the Mother”) and outlined by planner Roger Anger. As expressed in Alfassa’s first open message in 1965, she expresses, that Auroville is intended to be an all-inclusive town where men and ladies of all nations can live in peace and dynamic concordance, most importantly statements of faith, all governmental issues, and all nationalities. The motivation behind Auroville is to acknowledge human unity.
Map to reach Auroville
5. Rock Beach
Promenade Beach or Pondicherry Beach or Rock Beach is the prevalent extend of beachfront in the city of Puducherry, along with the Bay of Bengal. It is one of the best places to visit in Pondicherry at night or evening time with friends. It is a 1.2-kilometer-long extend in Pondicherry, begins from War Memorial and ends at Dupleix Park on the Goubert Ave. It is a wonderland for travelers and has some of the most magnificent landmarks like the War Memorial, a statue of Joan of Arc and the heritage town hall situated on it. Additionally, one can also spot the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, old lighthouse, the remains of the old pier, Dupleix statue and the old customs house located on the Promenade Beach.
The beach remains crowded with visitors enjoying sports activities like volleyball and swimming during the evening. Waterscape, ocean spray and the myriad reaction of people make the beach an attractive destination of Pondicherry.
Map to reach Rock Beach or Promenade Beach
6. Ousteri Lake
At a distance of 10 km Pondicherry Bus Station, Ousteri Lake, also known as Osudu Lake, is situated at Osudu Village on Pondicherry-Villupuram Road. It is one of the best places to visit in Pondicherry with girl friend. Spread across 390 hectares, the lake is situated in Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu. It is declared as one of Asia’s important wetlands. The Lake was declared as a wildlife sanctuary by the government. The government has decided to promote and develop the lake to a full-fledged sanctuary. Consisting of water, marsh, and mudflats, this site is inhabited by more than 40 migratory birds. Golden Oriole, Painted Stork, White Ibis, Open bill Stork, Tailor Bird and Spotted Owlets are some of the unique bird species seen here. The vegetation ranges from small herbs to trees, which supports migratory as well as native birds. At one point, Ousteri Lake was one of the biggest lakes and a major supplier of drinking water to Pondicherry. Boating facility is available in the lake. Bird watching is another major activity here.
Map to reach Ousteri Lake
7. Romain Rolland Library
On 16 May 1827, the library was opened by Desbassyns de Richemont. In 1884, it was located near the Ateliers des Ponts-et-Chaussees. Later, it was transferred to Rue des Capucins (Romain Rolland Street). In the beginning, it was open only to Europeans, but, after 1837, natives were allowed in the reading room so that they could acquire a good knowledge of the French language. In 1852, a section of Archives was created as an adjunct of the library. In 1935, the library had about 25,000 volumes and now the library has a rich collection of more than 3,00,000 volumes of books both in French and in English.
Map to reach Roman Rolland Library
8. Manakula Vinayagar Temple
Manakula Vinayagar Temple is a Hindu sanctuary in the Union Territory of Puducherry. Committed to the god Ganesa, it is a famous journey site and traveler goal in Puducherry. The sanctuary is of the impressive relic and originates before French control of the region. During the residency of Dupleix, there were endeavors to crush the sanctuary yet the sanctuary was at long last saved attributable to solid dissents from the Hindu populace and the risk of British and Maratha attack of the region.
Map to reach Manakula Vinayagar Temple
9. Immaculate Conception Cathedral
Flawless Conception Cathedral is the house of prayer mother church for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore. It is otherwise called “Samba Kovil”, which is a phonetic defilement of “Holy person Paul’s Kovil” where “Kovil” implies church. Situated on Mission Street, this house of prayer, which looks somewhat like a congregation in France, was implicit 1791 on the remnants of the most seasoned church. The forcing veneer presents combined Doric segments beneath and ionic above. Before the congregation is a statue of Our Lady with the baby Jesus in her arms.
Map to reach Immaculate Conception Cathedral Church
10. Arikamedu
Arikamedu is an ancient trade center situated in Pondicherry. Various textiles, beads, terracotta artifacts and gold and semi-precious jewelers were exported to Greco-Roman ports and other countries in the East from Arikamedu. Arikamedu’s glass bead making site was considered as “mother of all bead centers” in the world. Presently there are French remains were found on the site, which is now conserved by archaeological survey of India.
Map to reach Arikamedu