Puducherry, which was known formerly as Pondicherry, is referred to as the French Riviera of the East. It is the union territory of India. Tourism in Puducherry will give the visitors a relief from the busy hustle and bustle of the modern life. The calmness and tranquility of the Puducherry beach is a delight to the travelers. The Aurobindo Ashram is a place where the visitors seek spiritual enlightenment. This union territory is a home to many historical monuments and heritage buildings. The Botanical Gardens of Puducherry is extremely renowned and houses a lot of unusual specimens of plants. The temples, churches and museums form the other places of interest.Pilgrimage Tourism in Puducherry
Being an erstwhile French colony, the kind of religious sites Puducherry houses is quite impressive. Amazingly, this Indian Union Territory is more famous for the Aurobindo Ashram. It is located north on Rue de la Marine and is one of the wealthiest ashrams in India. It was founded in 1926 by the Bengali philosopher-guru, Aurobindo Ghose and his principal disciple, Mira Alfassa, more popularly known as the Mother. The Samadhi of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother is covered daily with flowers and usually surrounded by supplicating devotees with their hands and heads placed on the tomb. The Auroville Township is a place which is frequented by numerous pilgrims seeking spiritual solace. The Matrimandir in the middle of the town is the most visited place by the pilgrims. The architecture of the Matrimandir is also quite stunning. In the southwest part of the town, near the railway station, one can hardly miss the huge cream-and-brown Sacred Heart of Jesus, one of Puducherry's finest Catholic churches, built by French missionaries in the 1700s. There are several temples in Puducherry as well. These include the Manakula Vinayagar temple, Varadaraja Perumal Temple, Kanniga Parameswari Temple, Kamatchiamman Temple and others. The Manakula Vinayagar temple is three hundred years old and attracts a lot of devotees from all over the map of India. The Varadaraja Perumal Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu is a sacred religious site and is visited by thousands of disciples everyday. The Thirunallar temple of Lord Shiva is visited by thousands of devotees who assemble here for a ten-day annual festival, held during the months of May - June along with the appearance of the full moon.
Nature Tourism in Puducherry
The picturesque setting of the Botanical Gardens is bound to cast a magical spell on the visitors. The shady Botanical Gardens were established in the year 1826. The department of tourism in Puducherry has put in a lot of effort in maintaining the garden. The Botanical Garden is home to many rare and beautiful trees and plants. Each and every tree or plants are labeled with scientific, common and Tamil names. The approach to the Botanical gardens, which is in the heart of the city, is evocative of the French Architecture.
The French planted 900 species here, experimenting co see how they would do in Indian conditions. One tree, the khaya senegalensis, has grown to a height of 25 meters. This place is bliss for nature lovers and is the best place to experience a lot of peace and calm. The Botanical Gardens in Puducherry have also been endowed with a musical fountain. Colourful musical fountain shows are performed on weekends and holidays. It provides for a wonderful sensory experience. The travelers will also find an extraordinary fossilised tree, found about twenty five kilometers away in Tiravakarai. This is an inseparable part of Pondicherry tourism. Puducherry was a former French colony and so it retains the essence of French flavour. The Government Park in this spectacular Indian Union territory is an exceptionally well planned and well maintained place adorned with some of the most superb parks and gardens a tourist will ever come across. The park, also known as the Bharati Park, with lush green lawn and beautiful flowers serves a typical instance of an eye-catching and aesthetic entertainment park which is frequently visited by nature travelers and tourists who are bewitched by its fascinating tranquility.For more, visit the link below:
