There are different kinds of journeys that we embark on.
Some journeys require a lot of work for planning and execution. Some will
demand our energy and keen attention. However, there is a
third kind of tourist destination, where you neither need physical or mental
exertion. You can just float around the place like a cloud and yet feel quite refreshed
and content at heart. When I think of Puducherry(Pondicherry), it fits to that third kind of
place.
 |
| A serene evening at the Bodhi beach |
Pondicherry is more like an old man, sleeping in his hammock on the
seashore. Nothing bothers him! It is a clean and quite city, which was blessed
with the presence of great spiritual Gurus like Sri Aurobindo. Pondicherry also
has some of the best beaches that I ever have been.
 |
| The inviting waters at the Paradise beach |
I visited Pondy( I love to call it so..) in last February. The best season to visit is around November to February. From March to July it would be quite hot where temperature sores up to 36 degrees. We started our trip with Auroville and ended at the beautiful and serene Bodhi beach (Serenity beach).
Auroville
Auroville is a global village, which was established in 1968
by Mirra Alfassa.
Mirra Alfassa was a spiritual collaborator and
follower of Sri Aurobindo.
Auroville is
located at 12km north of Pondicherry. People from 50 different nationalities
lives in Auroville making it a truly global human settlement.
 |
| The quiet village trails of Auroville |
As you enter Auroville, you don’t find noisy crowd of tourists, but people who are calm and silent, enjoying the few moments they get to spend quietly in an otherwise busy life.
 |
| The huge banyan tree Auroville |
The main attraction of the
Auroville is the Matrumandir. It is a glob shaped central meditation facility
in Auroville. Getting an entry into Matrumandir is not so easy. One has to collect the entry pass two or three days prior to the expected date of visit, that too in person! This is to ensure that only those who are keen of meditating inside the Matrumandir would ever enter it.
 |
| Matrumandir and surrounding lawns |
 |
| The globe shaped Matrumandir - A close up view |
However, one can enter Auroville any time and
have a look at Matrumandir from a distance. I too did not get an entry pass into Matrumandir;
however I quite enjoyed the beautiful walkways and the huge Bodhi tree at the
place.
 |
| Grounds for meditation |
From the entrance of Auroville there are buses leading near to
Matrumandir, however if you like you walk there, which is hardly 10-15 minutes’
walk.
 |
| Entrance area of Auroville |
There are ample spaces in Auroville to have lunch or snacks.
 |
| We had some nice snacks at the Auroville cafe |
There are
also shops which sell souvenirs, hand crafted jewelry, cloths and incense sticks. I found them overpriced; hence I only bought an Auroville calendar as a
memoir for our visit.
 |
| Serenity |
The Paradise Island and beach (Chunnambar beach)
The paradise beach has a specialty that no other beaches I visited
had. The beach is entirely located on an island and there is a beautiful long
boat journey to reach the beach! The Paradise beach is situated around 7km from
Pondicherry and can be reached either via a ferry from Chunnambar boat house or
via road but only on a two wheeler.
 |
| The white powder sand and shacks at Paradise beach |
There are normal boats and speed boats which
would take you to the island where the beach is located. We opted for the
regular boat, which was a huge mistake. There was a long queue for the regular
boat and even after all of us boarded on the boat, it did not start for an
hour! On the other hand, the speed boats were costlier compared to the regular
boats, but they were more frequent and there was no queue.
|
| Clear waters of Paradise beach |
When you reach the
Paradise island beach, you will be pleasantly surprised by the pure white sand,
the tidy shore and the water so inviting that you can’t help but get in. Make
sure you reach either in the morning times or around the evening, as there are
not much trees on this island it can get quite hot. Also make sure you carry
enough water and snacks as there are very few shops on the island and they too
are overpriced.
 |
| Its playtime at the Paradise beach!!! |
Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar Temple
As we reached Pondicherry early evening from the Paradise
beach, we decided to take a stroll across the city through the residential areas and the sea shore along the
French quarters.
As we entered the city, we saw a large temple, which
was "Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar Temple". We entered the temple and there was a large crowd. The main thing that
attracted me in the temple was the sculptures of Lord Ganesh in different
postures all over the Surrounding walls of the central sanctum.
As we reached outside the temple, there was a queer ritual going on. As it is a Lord Ganesh temple, who is in the form of an elephant, elephants are also considered holy. As it is a temple premise, I was against clicking a photo, however I found this in Wikipedia, where the elephant is giving blessing to a devotee. India indeed a rich country of diverse practices! I could see children quite enjoying this scene.
After the
temple we entered into the main boulevard of old Pondicherry - the “Promenade”. There
was quite a crowd, enjoying the sunset. However the street was not crammed or
noisy. We also had a look at
“Le café – which was an old port house
converted into a neat small café. We decided to visit it the next day morning
for breakfast.
Day 2: Pondicherry
Aurobindo Ashram and the incense store
The first place we decided to on day 2 was the Aurobindo
Ashram, which is located inside the Pondicherry old city. It was around 2km
from our hotel and we got and auto for a reasonable price. As it was early in
the morning, there was very less crowd.
We can only click photos outside the
Ashram, inside it is strictly prohibited. We entered the ashram barefooted. It
is not a very big facility, however the atmosphere inside was quite striking. There
was absolute silence! Inside the
Ashram, you don’t need any effort to go into the meditative mood; you just have
to sit there. A kind of silence and calmness covers you. We spend around half
an hour in Ashram and the headed towards the incense store we spotted outside
the Ashram.
The incense store is named as Auroshikha. Auroshikha itself was a quite an experience. As the doors
open, amalgams of sweet smells enter into your nostrils and explode in the
brain. They have huge collection of agarbaties(incense sticks), scented candles, soaps and other souvenirs.
The price is quite moderate and we bought a
lot of items from Auroshikha.
 |
| The tidy streets of Pondycherry |
A stroll through the old French quarters
Around 10:00 am we exited the Aurobindo Ashram premises and
we decided to take a stroll across the neat and wide streets of Pondicherry.
Pondicherry still preserves the signs of the old French rule. We spotted this colorful
building on the “rue
de la marine” boulevard. The French windows and architecture was particularly striking. Later we came to know that it is the French consulate in Pondicherry. Very very French indeed!
 |
| The French consulate |
 |
| Rue De La Marine - the beach boulevard |
We kept walking towards the main street of French quarters, which is known as the “Promenade”. Our destination was “Le café”. We had a nice snack at the sea shore.
We continued walking through the Promenade and saw the customs office, the French war memorial and the Gandhi statue on the sea shore.
 |
| The customs office at the Promenade |
 |
| The French war memorial |
It was getting quite sunny and we had half more
day at hand. So we decided to go to some place a little offbeat. That is how we
heard about the serenity beach (Also known as the Bodhi beach)
Bodhi beach
Bodhi beach is located at 9 km from Puducherry and it is not
a very well-known destination. A friendly auto driver took us to the beach
without charging a rupee extra. I have always been extremely lucky in
finding such people, throughout my travels. We reached the beach around 3pm and
we had couple of hours to spend there. The beach is tidy; however we didn’t get
into the waters.
Instead, we sat on the beach wall and enjoyed the wind and
watched those who were trying surfing. A particularly interesting sight was a
father teaching his son how to surf. I came to know that there is an academy
near Bodhi beach, which gives lessons of surfing. There is also a quiet café near
the beach which is also named after the beach. We had some iced tea there and
spent the evening looking at the ocean.
Two hours later, we were on the bus, back to Bangalore. As I bid goodbye to Pondy, I knew that I would always fondly remember this place. I do so even after an year of my visit!
Pondicherry is located in southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu on the Bay of Bengal coast hotels in pondicherry It boasts of an impressive building done up with magnificent exterior and beautiful interiors
ردحذفSpiritual cures: This is the place it is possible that another person or the influenced individual himself plays out a specific explicit act to reduce a specific issue at a spiritual level.סיינטולוגיה
ردحذفSpiritual healing is about diagnosis and removal of the spiritual root cause of the problem, that is, the ghost in the above example of heart disease. It could also be used for stopping a potential problem happening in the first place. emotional intelligence test
ردحذفإرسال تعليق