Pondicherry

Our next stop after the Andaman Islands was Pondicherry (formerly Puducherry meaning; New Village).  The town has a strong French colonial influence having been owned by the French since 1673. The roads have French names, and on them you are likely to find French restaurants, boutiques and delicatessens.  Pondicherry was handed back to India in 1954.

The streets were noticeably quieter and cleaner, and most people including the Indians spoke French.  

 

Probably the cleanest bike in India!

I'm suprised he's not got his daughter in a bucket!

Whilst in Pondicherry we visited a small art paper making factory (unfortunately photography was not permitted), we saw churches and temples - Dimple got blessed by an elephant named Lakshmi.

 

 

 

Lakshmi the elephant

Lakshmi blessing Dimple

Street life in Pondicherry

An everyday sight in India

The is a 300 year botanical garden close to the hotel we stayed at, unfortunately a recent storm had reduced it to ruins.

One of the most interesting and unique places we visited was Auroville (City of Dawn).  It is an experimental township founded in 1968, just outside of Pondicherry.  Most noticeably is the Matramandir, which is a golden globe.  It is a place of tranquility, within which is polished white marble and in the centre is a crystal ball (one of the worlds largest) measuring 70cm on a gold mount.  A single ray of sunlight shines directly onto the crystal and lights the structure within.  

What's that I can see through the trees?

Matramandir!!