Are you jotting down the names that you want to visit this holiday season in India? If yes, then South India will be a convenient location. Where in South India? Well, Pondicherry it is! The place flaunts its elegance through its arrays of promising scenic beauties ranging from the majestic colonial architecture to the wide virgin beaches. The Dutch colonized city has stood the test of time, and till today it rules to win the glares. So if you want to visit here, take a look at some of the most endearing places to visit in Pondicherry.
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Pertinent places to visit in Pondicherry
Now we will talk about the underline the places to visit in Pondicherry or Puducherry, as it is now called:
Shri Aurobindo Ashram
Shri Aurobindo Ashram, a place of serenity, came into being in the year 1926. The place is known for spreading the positive aura, love, and vibrancy because of which it has thousands of disciples from different parts of the world.
Right now, there are around 500 students and devotees who are strongly connected to the Ashram and are known for their contribution. The best is that this magnificent ashram was developed to disseminate how people can attain internal peace.
The ashram was set up with a large library section tucked up with wide arrays of books picked from different genres. The ashram’s interior has the courtyard, and underneath the frangipani tree lies the Samadhi of Mother and Aurobindo Ghosh. Thus, people who visit the Pondicherry pay their respect and love to flower Garland.
Timing for visitor 8 is from 12 pm, 2 pm to 4 pm.
Entry fee: free
Paradise beach
Nothing can give that pleasure rather than sauntering on the wide beach. And when you are in Pondicherry, you can’t afford to miss the spectacular look of Paradise beach.
The beach is adorned with golden sand, and the stall’s avenue on the beach is worthy of looking for. You can get both coconut water and snacks on the beach.
Early risers can roll up on the beach by 4 am to catch the mind-boggling view of the sunrise.
One more thing that will excite you on the beach is the backwater.
The thick carpet of greeneries and mangroves will genuinely make you compliment the creation of nature.
If you wonder which are the best times to visit Paradise beach, then obviously that is after the monsoon because after the monsoon, the backwater deck up itself with fresh greeneries.
So once you are there, take your camera and capture the scenic splendors. Along with that, you will also come to know about beautiful birds as well.
Time to go: The best time to be on the beach is between 9 am to 5 pm.
Auroville
Auroville was the brainchild of Mother Mira Alfassa, the late disciple of Aurobindo Ghosh. It came into sight in the year 1968.
The place is the ultimate abode of tranquility and serenity. Being located in Tamil Nadu, the township serves as the real place to relax and seek peace.
It was so engineered with the hope that people from all walks of life and culture can join the ashram and celebrate togetherness with ecstasy.
Auroville is also summoned as the “universal town” because about 2800 people have nestled from 195 countries.
It is a matter of pride for Auroville to declare that these people are the township’s legal residents. So, when you made up your mind to visit Pondicherry without any miss, you should visit Auroville.
Once you are there, you will come to know about the doctrines of Mother, which were completely based on their true love, peace, wisdom, sustainable living, and harmony.
Arikamedu
You must add this to the places to visit in Pondicherry to explore the footprints of Romans on Indian soil.
The place witnessed the joint ventures of the iconic Romans, Cholas, and French from the period of the 1st century to 2nd century.
The first sight of the Arikamedu excavation took place in the year 1940.
Once you get there, you will come to see the colossal perpendicular bricked walls witnessing the test of time.
The Jesuit mission French house established in the 18th century is a remarkable archeological site indeed.
Talking about the scenic presence, the place is enriched with greeneries. Among which the striking is the coconut and mango trees.
If you search for some ancient remains, then you can come across Amphoras there on the site. This is the ideal destination for those who want to capture vintage archeological remains.
Time to visit: You can visit the place from 10 am to 4 pm.
Entry ticket: It is free
Promenade beach
Promenade beach bears the real example of the French presence in India. The site is known for its serene, clean, and eye-soothing look.
Indeed the place is very much well maintained, and the tidiness of the beach will make you visit it twice a day. To relax, you can reside at one of the sites by the side of the beach and take a majestic glimpse of the pristine blue.
Besides, the place is renowned for some of the remarkable sites such as the War memorial, idol of Joan Arc, Townhall, Old Lighthouse, Mahatma Gandhi’s remains, and the statue of Dupleix, etc.
All these exemplary archaeological etchings will steal your attention at first sight only. By the seaside, you can pick any cafe and enjoy the traditional seafood as well.
In the meantime, you can even find out time to check out the handicraft collections. At the same time, the other side of the beach is known for its heritage sites.
Auroville Beach
When you talk about visiting Pondicherry, you cannot miss the place, Auroville. The beach is not only mesmeric but always stays above the crowd in the visitor’s list.
You will love to stroll along the beaches and get the magical view of the sunrise and sunset. Apart from that, the beach is decked up with resorts and hotels.
The lighthouse view from the beach is again a treat to the eyes. In the meantime, you will also come across the colony of fishermen, where you will see fishers displaying their fishing tools and fishes to the visitors as the beach is adjacent to the ashram.
Hence, it maintains full serenity and tries to keep the beach fortified from human intervention. However, whenever you are there in Auroville, visit the place and pick the best snaps.
Basilica Sacred Hearts Jesus
You must add this to the places to visit in Pondicherry. It is one of 22 Basilicas present in India.
The sacred Heart Jesus is the one among the 21 mentioned Basilica. Talking about the architecture, it portrays the gothic look. The most eye stunning is the church’s entrance gateway, which bears the sacred words from the Bible that describes the doctrines.
On top of that, the image of Mother Mary and Lord Jesus is truly eye-pleasing. You can target the three most royal days like New year, Christmas evening, and Easterday to catch glimpses of the church’s grand decoration.
The Catholic church portrays the huge images of Lord Jesus and other saints on the glass sealed erections. The year 2008 and 2009 witnessed the centenary event. And it was during that time the exclusive postal stamp was produced. Therefore people flock to the church to get that peaceful feeling inside.
Time to visit the church: From Monday to Saturday the timing is 7 am to 6 pm
But on Sunday the timing is 8 am to 6:30 pm.
Entry fee: Free
Chunnambar Houseboat
Whenever you plan to explore the union territory, take a short ride near about 8 km to decode the breathtaking comeliness of the Chunnambar Boat House.
The best about the place is that it is situated at the starting point of the backwater. This place is an idyllic destination for both nature admirers and water sports enthusiasts.
Honestly, the place is the resting ground for visitors who like to spend time and meditate in tranquility. The lush greeneries in and around is like the best and eye-catching sight. Talking about the stream, it is not very profound, and the water flow is natural.
Now about the activities, you can indulge in here, you can enjoy watching varieties of motley-colored birds along the stream. If you want to take a close look at the flowing stream, you can take the boat ride to the stream.
Time to visit: You can visit the boathouse at any time between 9 am to 5 pm.
Entry fee: For adults it’s is Rs 5 while the amount is rs 3 for 4 to 8 years.
Raj Niwas
Pondicherry boasts of exclusive creations, and Raj Niwas is the most remarkable landmark on the list.
Dating back to the 18th century, the place showcases the house of Pondicherry’s Lieutenant Governor.
A sneak peeks into the building will let you catch a glimpse of the legislative Assembly.
On top of that, the robust pillar standing tall amidst the Niwas add a glorious touch to the place. And the most important thing is that these pillars are obtained from the Gingee Fort because it was attacked.
Besides that, the monuments of the water are one of the striking sights as well. Therefore you will have to get to the place to get the view. The well-decorated garden will also take your breath away.
Botanical Garden Pondicherry
Visiting the botanical garden in Pondicherry is the best opportunity, and you will never want to let go of that. Before starting the journey, you should know a bit about the history of the Botanical Garden.
As per that, it came into light in the year 1862 and was founded by C.S Perrott. As the name tells, it is the botanical garden, and the place looks elegant because of the bountiful greeneries.
Note that these greeneries are picked from different parts of the world. The most striking part of this is that the trees are rare and exotic. Moving on to the next eye, stealing sight, we have the aquarium. Well, the aquarium shelters different types of fishes and floras. Besides that, you will also come across the manuals that demonstrate the different ways of fishing.
French War Memorial
A place of heritage that beholds the history safely and is none other than the French War Memorial.
The place is dedicated to the long lost heroes of the First World War, whose contribution to the land sings the saga of their sacrifice.
If you want to pay your tribute to the martyrs, you should include this place on the sightseeing list.
Every year on July 14, the monuments are decorated with pomps and lights to recall heroes’ sacrifices.
Jawahar Toy Museum
Pondicherry somewhat attracts people for its diverse kinds of location, and the Jawahar museum toy is one among them.
You should know that to reach the museum you will have to be at the Gandhi Maidan, near the old lighthouse.
Here you will come across multiple collections of toys collected from different places. The collection consists of about 140 dolls.
The most startling part of this toy museum is that the toys are distinguished and exquisitely beautiful.
Apart from that, the colorful apparel of the toys will surely hook your lens. And the most interesting part of the museum is that here the toys are labeled perfectly. Moreover, people even call the place the dolls museum as well.
Final thoughts
The above said are some of the best places to visit in Pondicherry. Please take a look at each one of them and see which one you want to visit first. We hope the vacation to Pondicherry will be indeed delightful.
