This is the 5th destination of my south India Travel, to read about previous destinations ,click here, here, here and here.

Pondicherry had been calling me for a long time…and I was most eager to visit this cute town on my South India tour…..so my excitement was palpable , when I boarded the overnight sleeper bus from my last destination to reach Pondicherry in the early hours of the morning…

…and my enthusiasm and excitement was greeted by this lovely sunrise….which was to be one of the many wonderful experiences of Pondicherry!!

Pondicherry is located in the Coromandel Coast facing the Bay of Bengal and is a former french colony. It also happens to be the spiritual home of Sri Aurobindo and Mother. This distinct mix of geography, history and spiritualism makes pondicherry one of the most delightful destinations in South India.

Pondicherry feeds the soul, the stomach and the shopping mania with equal ease. Many people come here for many reasons…..I went there to relax…and found much much more….

A simple walk one the promeande beach and the beach road calms one’s mind and refreshes the soul..I took many walks both in the morning and evening of the two days I spent here(good thing that we took a hotel facing the beach in the french quarters!!)

A remarkable degree of French influence in Pondicherry exists to this date. Pondicherry was designed based on the French (originally Dutch) grid pattern and features neat sectors and perpendicular streets. The town is divided into two sections: the French Quarter  and the Indian quarter . Many streets still retain their French names, and French style villas are a common sight.

Pondicherry has got a laidback feel to it, the people here are in no hurry and everyone is in a relaxed mood. In no time, one also gets into the calm mood and begins to enjoy this charming town and its various delights.

One of my most spiritually enriching experiences was when I visited Auroville. I could actually feel the presence of ‘Mother’ here. The calm surroundings, the gentle breeze and the whole vibe of this township made me want to stay there and not come back…and I have made a resolution to come here and stay for a much longer duration….lets see…!! 

Pondicherry is also a foodie’s heaven with a wonderful range of creole, French and continental cuisines available here. Though we samples many things here at the various eateries…what remains in my taste buds lingering still is the sinfully yumm hot chocolate served with dark chocolate spoon and chocolate shavings at Choco La(a stand alone patisserie) , the dark chocolate spoon and shavings  melt into the  hot chocolate while one stirs ….it makes for heavenly experience to drink this concoction!!

And for a shopaholic, this place is pure nirvana…with so many eclectic options and out of the box stuff!!!…..I shopped quite a lot here but taking no names of the places….its a lot of wonderful discoveries here so if you guys do go there, make your own.(but yeah if anyone is super interested to know, can drop me an email..ill sure to tell you some!!)

The 2 days I spent here went too fast and I wanted to stay some more…..but whatever time I spent here was utterly totally relaxing and enriching for my body and soul!!!

P.S. I have also written an article series on my south india tour for a travel blog, if you are interested in tour details, you can read here.

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  1. Pingback: A day in the french quarters…..Today’s Look #23 – My Unfinished life

  2. Thank you for the sharing the blog on the beautiful Pondicherry with wonderful photos. As we know it is a Union Territory in southern India. The history of the City of Pondicherry is recorded only after the arrival of Dutch, Portuguese, British and French colonialists. There exists many places to visit in Pondicherry which still preserve much of the colonial ambiance. Pondicherry is surely one of the choicest holiday destinations in South India.

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  14. Its like-minded thought rise in everyone who visits Aurovile to stay there forever… and I too dream about it. Peace and consciousness enhances there to build strong spirit and relationship with nature and human. Seems u had a quite relaxing tour in Pondicherry. The photos are inviting to visit the place again, which was affected badly by the Thane cyclone. Think u visited Pondicherry before the cyclone.

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  15. I loved your description about the beautiful city of Pondicherry and the gorgeous photos…! I have not yet been there… hope I will be able to make it sometime this year.

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  47. I love this place. Lived there for almost 5 yrs and that's once place I would love to visit again and again and again.
    BTW, you have also captured a friend of mine in those snaps. 🙂

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  50. I loved the Auroville too.Yes,its so serene and lovely no!!! 🙂 And yes,I just fell for Choco La!! 🙂 A place to be…oh yeah!!! 🙂

    I remember our whole family of 20 went and thronged to my cousin's studio apartment and God knows how …we managed sleeping there and on the terrace in the cool breeze..roaming around the awesome places..beach & everything! had a wow experience..my very first visit to pondy!! 🙂

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  53. I've been planning to visit Pondi with a friend of mine for three years! Can you believe it?And that hot chocolate thing…ahhh…I can literally feel my mouth watering!

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  54. Beautiful post about Pudussery. I did go there but it was something like passing through. In the light of your observations, I need to stay there for a couple of days to understand the French influence apart from the street names. Thank you.

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  69. Sushmita, I too went to Pondicherry two years back and felt very peaceful there ! One could hear the sound of the sea all the time from our resort room -the sea was a walking distance from our room. Someday, I will put some photos in my blog!

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  73. Hey ,loved the post .
    Pondicherry is one my fav destination too and you have bfully explained the whole experience
    Yes ,even i love to shop in pondicherry ….hopefully u did go to hidesign store and paradise beach as well :))

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