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Auroville's birthday celebration

Auroville Handbook is the official guide to Auroville that can be bought in the Visitors' center and the bookshops around or Auroville's website. A map of the town can be bought in Pondicherry at the Boutique de Auroville and at the visitors center in Auroville.

[edit] Get in

By Rickshaw (Rs 100-150) or Taxi (Rs 240) from Pondicherry. Many buses between Chennai and Pondicherry pass the turn off to Auroville - you can get down here and into one of the waiting rickshaws at the junction.

You can also rent scooters in Pondicherry and drive yourself for a day trip or arrange to keep the scooter for a few days or more.

[edit] Get around

Best by motorbike, also possible by bicycle. Rickshaws and taxis can be ordered for trips out of the town. If you have a guest card than you can use the community's bus to Pondicherry (for free). You can hire motorbikes for Rs 60-100 per day and in some guesthouses you'll get a bicycle for free with your rent.

The nearest petrol station is on the sea front road just north of the Auroville turnoff. If you find yourself low while in town, a few of the shops have 1 liter water bottles filled with petrol for sale.

[edit][add listing] See

• Matrimandir - Meaning "Temple of the Mother" in Sanskrit, this is the geographical and spiritual heart of Auroville. The outside is plated with gold, while the inside is stark white with a gigantic crystal in the center.

Check with the visitor center if you're interested in seeing the inside of the temple - the rules can be very strict, and it may take 2 days or so before you actually get inside (you've been warned!). You'll first need a visitors pass for a little guided tour of one of the meditation chambers, and once you've done that you qualify to visit the inside of the main temple the following day. Saturday and Sunday can be particularly busy and you may need to wait in line for 30-40 minutes. Bags, cell phones and cameras are not allowed in the temple.

If you have a guest card you can get a pass valid for all the days of your stay, otherwise you'll get a one day pass. Aurovilians can also take you in as a guest, though this isn't likely unless you have friends there.

MatriMandir's View from West

• Auro Beach - Located at walking distance from the Auroville Busstop on ECR (East Coast Road), Auro Beach is considered one of the best beaches on India's Eastern Coastline. Most of the people found on the beach are either Europeans or Tamils.
  

  

  Auro Beach

[edit][add listing] Do

There are a lot of activities in Auroville like Yoga, Tai-Chi, Watsu, different kinds of alternative healing and courses. The variety is wider during the visitors' season (December to March), when they can attend the classical Indian dance performances of young virtuosos organised by Auroville Cultural Exchange. There are a plethora of social/economic/environmental/agricultural projects going on regularly. Many of them welcome tourists, and many tourists welcome the opportunity to spent a week or more volunteering to get a much more intimate look at what goes inside Auroville. There are at least 14 farms in Auroville, any of which will take daily volunteers. There are also many schools that can accommodate volunteers, environmental restoration projects, and village action initiatives, just to name a few. Kottakarai Organic Food Processing Unit is a small little shop that makes things like cookies and pasta from local and organic ingredients in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. It is located next to Ganesh Bakery, a cafe/restaurant that is popular with tourists.

[edit][add listing] Buy

[edit][add listing] Eat

• The Solar Kitchen is the main cafeteria and most popular place to eat. It also has la Terrace cafe upstairs serving coffees, salads and sandwiches.

• Ganesh Bakery is very popular, serving full meals and baked goods, with a well-stocked market attached.

• Visitor Centre has an excellent cafe with daily specials and a wide range of Indian and European food including great vegetarian food, drinks and desserts.

• Le Morgan at the Town Hall is a French restaurant which is open for lunch and also some dinners, please check. They often serve delicious fresh fish.

• Repos cafe is situated on the beach and has amazing salads, check out sunbliss salad or the houmous platter. It is open to people staying in Auroville and is closed on Mondays and open til 5 every other day.

• Aurelec serves breakfast and a wonderful buffet lunch for a fixed price of mainly north Indian food. It is also an art gallery.

• New Creation Corner is on the main round from the beach to Matrimandir and serves great vegetarian dishes, crepes and has a great atmosphere.

• Paradise Pizza is an amazing pizza restaurant where the pizzas are cooked on a clay oven and taste delicious. They also offer some daily specials of pasta.

• Solitude offer a vegan meal cooked from produce on the farm. This is available at lunch times and you must book in advance and make a donation.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

There are more than 450 beds in different guesthouses in Auroville, and many more in the non-Aurovilian hotels around the township, which are generally less expensive. The best way is to go to the visitors' center in Auroville and browse through their book in which you can see the rooms and get details about them. Prices range from Rs 75-2100 per person per day.

Overnight guests in Auroville's guest houses are expected to pay a daily contribution of Rs 100 (30 for students), which is often included in the guesthouse rate. For this contribution you receive a Guest Card which allows you to use the services of Auroville, like the Solar Kitchen, classes and some shops.

[edit] Get out