I can eloquently count my Pondicherry trip as one of my best memories of life. 5 of us (4 of my college friends and I) decided to hang out their 3 days weekend in Pondicherry. We decided to reach Chennai (from Bangalore) where 2 of our friends stay and finalized that we will be leaving for Pondicherry on BIKES.
Commutation:
Pondicherry is just around 150 kilometers from Chennai, if you are going in a group of 4-5 you can easily move ahead on one of the most beautiful roads of India, ECR (East Cost Road) and the picturesque landscapes make it look even more beautiful. ECR is one of the best roads in India and believe me it’s more than a pleasure to drive on such a smooth track with cool breeze and Bay on Bengal lying on the roadside. The best thing about going by your own vehicle is that you can stop in between Chennai and Pondicherry and enjoy the lonely beaches with pure golden sand and blue water and these beaches are really far more beautiful than the beaches you will see in the town. Another advantage is you don’t have to worry about the travel medium in Pondicherry. Frequent buses are also available from Chennai; you can choose on your own according to your comfort.
Lodging:
Once you reach Pondicherry, the lodging facilities are available in very cheap. If you are going between November and February which is the best time to hang out there, you won’t need an air-conditioned room and a decent room without AC would not cost you more than 400 bucks (with AC the cost goes up to a maximum of 700). Even the beach resorts are not very expensive, so you can decide the place according to your budget and comfort). If you want to be on a safer side, you can book your rooms even before coming to this heaven.
Places to visit:
Here are some of the important places that one should visit:
Sri Aurobindo Ashram: You all might be knowing that Aurobindo was a great philosopher and writer who carried the philosophy of a world above all religions, all nationalities, all sects, a world which pursues only 1 religion...’’HUMANITY’’. This ashram always remain very quite despite the assembly of hundreds of people, there is a meditation area and library in this ashram to watch out for.
Matrimandir at Auroville: A city which is going to come up at a place 15 kms from Pondicherry town. The construction of the city was started in the year 1971 and is still going on. People from over 130 countries had participated in the event. The soul of the city is a DOME which has a meditation globe inside. The rays from Sun fall over the globe and cast impressions on the Globe’s inner walls. There is some spiritual and scientific reasoning behind this (which Aurobindo gave). The Globe (which is in fact the Matrimandir) will be a place where people can come and rise above material bondages and attempt to unite with the Almighty; quite a place to visit.
Beaches: Pay a visit to Rock beach in the night and you will get a feeling of “feeling the divine”. Among the sand beaches Auroville beach is the most popular and a real beauty. One can easily forget about all the tensions of this materialistic world while relaxing at these beaches.
At last I would like to say a well planned tour of Pondicherry can also add into your list of unforgettable memories.
Your valuable comments are most welcome……