The origin of the city is shrouded in mystery and enveloped in legends. Excavations in the Arikamedu area near Pondicherry, shows the remains of a flourishing trading port, which has trade links with Rome, more than a century before the Christian Era. So if you travel to Pondicherry, don't miss the glorious remains of Arikamedu, which are on display in the Pondicherry museum.

Fondly called the French Riviera of the East and capital of the erstwhile French India, the city has an ambience to that. A cosmopolitan place, it is also home to an ashram founded by Aurbindo Ghosh, the great revolutionary and mystic of the 19th century India.

Plage Paradiso (Paradise Beach) At Chunnambar, 8 kms from the town, along Cuddalore Main Road, lies this stretch of tropical paradise. Flanked h a quiet-flowing creek on one side. In fact, you can sail downstream to the sands and pitch up a cozy seaside tent for yourself. Overnighting within the tree-houses on the backwater banks provides a relishing experience of the great outdoors.

Aurobindo Ashram The main building comprises the houses of Shri Aurobindo and The Mother (Mirra Alfassa, a French woman who accepted Aurobindo as her spiritual mentor and guide and later became his most important disciple). In the courtyard are the samadhis of Aurobindo and The Mother where their mortal remains have been enshrined. Visitors are allowed to visit the samadhi between 8am and 6pm everyday. The other places of interest in the Ashram complex are the International Education Centre, guest houses, libraries and the cottage industries.

Karaikal Beach Sunrise-watchers can catch their magnificent view over the bay, with the pretty Arasalar river reaching out to the sea. Alternatively, you can canoe or kayak in picture-book surroundings. Have a round of beach volley ball. Or, armed with the angling gear, you can reel in a surprise.

Government Park The Government Park is the centre of old colonial part of the town and provides a cool and lush green anchor around which most government buildings are situated: the Lt. Governor's Palace, the Legislative Assembly, Government Hospital, but also the Ashram Dining Room in a beautiful Villa, the Cercle de Pondichery, which is a private club, and old Hotel Qualité.

Jimper This is one of the foremost medical institutions in the country. JIPMER, which is Jawaharlal Institute of Post-graduate Medical Education and Research, was established 20 years ago and is one of the most prestigious institutions of its kind in the country.

Botanical Gardens Just off West Boulevard, the gardens planned by C.S. Perrotet in 1826, have a good collection of exotic flowering plants from India and abroad. There is also an aquarium here which has some rare species of ornamental fish.

Pondocherry Museum Opened in 1984, this museum has on display some fine antiques apart from sections devoted to archaeology, geology, sculpture, handicrafts, objects of art, printing and armaments. Among the exhibits on display are the bed used by Dupleix, a palanquin and a pousse-pousse which resembles a rickshaw.

Auroville This city of dawn was designed by the French architect Roger Arger and was started as an experimental commune where people of all nationalities irrespective of caste, creed or religion would live together in harmony. About 550 people from different countries live in the 40 settlements of Auroville. It is advisable to hire bicycles to look around as the village is too large to wander through on foot. Surrounded by lakes and gardens, the sphere shaped Matri Information Centre at Promesse the first stop is Here, a 25 hectare farm and orchard where organic agriculture has been practised successfully.

How To Get There??
Air : As Pondicherry does not have an airport in its territory so visitors avail the facility of Chennai International Airport while coming to Pondicherry. This airport is just 135 km from Pondicherry and regular flights arrive here from Europe,Middle East,USA . At Chennai Airport all the private and public airlines operate.
Rail : The nearest railway junction is Villupuram which is 36 km away and is connected to Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram . You also have the option of taking train from Bangalore to Cuddalore. Southern Railways operates here.
Road : Well connected road network is there in Pondicherry with National Highway No. 45 traversing the whole of Pondicherry . Chennai is 150 km from Pondicherry and Bangalore being 320 km , one can easily access Pondicherry from these two cities. Pondicherry is well reached by road from Chennai, Bangalore and even from Kerala.