Pondicherry

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Pondicherry (also known as "Pondi", and now officially called Puducherry) [1], is a city and capital of the Pondicherry union territory of Southern India.

[edit] Get in

[edit] Road

Pondicherry is well connected from all sides. Chennai is situated 160 km north of the city. Getting to Pondicherry involves a three hour road journey from Chennai. One can get a bus from CMBT in Koyambedu or from Thiruvanmiyur or Guindy. You can be sure of a seat only from CMBT in Koyambedu.

The road from Chennai to Pondicherry (the East Coast Road, commonly called ECR) is a scenic highway and a normal journey would take about 3 hours. Most tourists however, cannot resist the seashore kissing the road and take a number of stops en route. This route passes through Mahabalipuram, Kalpakkam, Pudupattinam, Idaikkazhinadu (Alambara Fort), Mudaliarkuppam (has a cool boat house), Marakkanam (contains large areas under salt pans), Kanagachettikulam/Kalapet etc. before reaching Pondicherry. This is the shorter route.

The other route that can be taken to reach Pondy is through the National Highway 45 (NH-45) famously called as the Grand Southern Trunk GST Road. Taking this route will take you about 3.5 hours to reach Pondy. This route passes through Tambaram, Chengelpet, Madhurantakam, Melmaruvathur, Tindivanam etc. before reaching Pondicherry. Both the major roads from Chennai are toll roads. This in however a longer route.

Pondicherry is about 320 Kms from Bangalore. Drive down National Highway 7 (NH-7) till Krishnagiri, take a left off the main highway (roadsigns mark the route) and then take National Highway 66 (NH-66) to Pondicherry. This route passes through Uthangarai, Chengam, Tiruvannamalai, Gingee and Tindivanam. One can reach Pondicherry either through Tindivanam (via Gingee) or Villupuram (via Thirukovilur). Gingee fort is also on the way to Tindivanam and worth spending some time. It is a Archealogical survey of India (ASI)Heritage site. The total travel time should be about 5-6 hours. Do pack some food or snacks for the way as there are no good restaurants enroute.

Pondicherry is well connected to Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Karaikal, Nagapattinam, Velankanni, etc to the South by National Highway 45A (NH-45A). The road is well maintained till Chidambaram.

Pondicherry connects to the GST or NH - 45 in two places viz. at Villupuram by NH-45A and at Tindivanam by NH-66.

[edit] Rail

Pondicherry is also connected to Chennai by an electric broad gauge railway line through Villupuram. There are 2 passenger trains running daily to Chennai Egmore Railway station and Tirupati and there is a weekly express train service to Bhubaneswar.But due to slower speeds and long travel durations,bus journeys are preferred.

[edit] Air

Pondicherry has an airport with facilities for the landing of small aircraft like Dornier, Cessna, etc. But it is not available for public use presently.

[edit] Get around

The best way to see Pondicherry and its surrounding areas is by renting out a "Pedal cycle" or a "motorcycle" or "ungeared scooter". These can be rented from any of the numerous rental stores. Your hotel should be able to provide the contact to the nearest store. The prices as of Feb 2007 were Rs100 for an ungeared scooter and Rs150 for a geared motorcycle. You will need to provide some identification document as collateral and an advance of Rs100-200. Many of the rentals also provide delivery and pickup at the hotel which is very useful.

The official Website: http://tourism.puducherry.gov.in/

[edit][add listing] See

  • The Beach
  • Barathi Park
  • Churches
  • Botanical garden
  • Chunnambar Boat House
  • Oustery Lake
  • Paradise Beach
  • Sri Aurobindo Ashram
  • Government Museum
  • Auroville city
  • Boat House
  • Manakula Vinayagar Temple
  • Villianur - St. Lourd Church (7Km from Pondicherry towards Villupuram)
  • Villianur Thirukameeswarar Temple

[edit][add listing] Do

There is not much one is expected to do at Pondicherry. You would understand this better once you get there and understand the pace of life. People here love to take things slow and live each moment fully.

You can also do some serious meditation at the Auroville, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, or going to Bharatanatyam performances that are often organized there by the Auroville Cultural Exchange in the local temples, or at major hotels. You can also go fishing in a Cattaraman- fishing raft of sorts.

Pondicherry is beautiful to see.

[edit][add listing] Eat

Pondicherry is known for its wide variety of cuisines from South Indian delicacies like idly and dosa to seafood like fried fish, prawn bajji and parota.Though the French history has an influence on the cuisine options here but the best options are still the local delicacies-sea food. Good French food is available at restaurants around the french part of town. One highly recommended restaurant is "Rendezvous" at 30, Rue Suffren. You can also try "Satsanga" at Rue Labourdonnais. "Anjappar" near Jeeva theatre signal and "Appachi" at Rangapillai street is well known for their Chettinad fare, though they are very crowded and you might have to go early to grab a table. For good south Indian snacks, try the Saravana Bhavan in Jawaharlal Nehru street. The Dosas are absolutely delicious.

[edit][add listing] Drink

Good branded liquor like Smirnoff, Bacardi and different Scotch Whiskies are very inexpensive as there is no sales tax in Pondicherry. A good store is "Costprice shop" on Lal Bahadur Shastri road.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

  • Aurobindo Ashram (), [2]. For the budget traveler on a spiritual tour, the Guest Houses run by the Aurobindo Ashram are the best and the one Guest House which stands out is the Park Guest House. Please book in advance, if you don't want to be disappointed. The place is clean and very beautiful. Very strict too. No liquor, smoking, eating non-veg etc. Rs. 500 per day for Indians.  edit

On the top side we have the Hotel Promenade (telephone number: +91 413 2227 750). great place, good food. Good buffet and an excellent view from the restaurant of the sea. Hotel De L'Orient is also a great place to stay. Very chic with a French villa feel to it! Retro and worth it. Villa Helena and Le Dupleix are ditto.

Lot of other good hotels include, Pondicherry Ashok (has a good beach nearby), Hotel Mass, Hotel Annamalai, Hotel Soorya, Hotel Ram International, etc.

[edit] Get out

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