Puducherry is a city, an urban agglomeration and a municipality in Pondicherry district in the Indian union territory of Puducherry. It is affectionately known as Pondy, and has been officially known by the alternative name Puducherry since 2006 (Source: Wikipedia).
 |
| Mural on wall - Alliance Francaise - 125 Years |
Puducherry; or Pondicherry; or simply Pondy is a place where time passes slowly... and its a good thing :)
Everyone seems courteous; No one is in a hurry. The skies are clearer when there aren't any clouds; The clouds are always silver-lined; even the grey-est of them! The air is salty; yet the place, sweet... The roads in the French part of town are neatly organized like a criss-cross pattern... One can see lot of bicycle traffic and this part of the town is usually cleaner and greener...
Pondy is truly reminiscent of its French presence with a plethora of French buildings and streets with French names. The city has many beautiful colonial buildings, churches, temples, and
statues which, combined with the systematic town planning and the well
planned French style avenues, still preserve much of the colonial
ambiance. Pondicherry is also a popular weekend destination. It is a
blend of spiritual aura, French colonial heritage, Tamil culture, virgin
beaches and the cosmopolitan flair of many nationalities in a small but
varied city.
 |
| Alliance Francaise, Puducherry |
 |
| Promenade Beach - Goubert Street |
The most charming place to catch the pulse of Pondy is the Promenade beach/strip. The tourist information center at the Promenade Street is abuzz with activities/events for tourists. From art to culture, drama to linguistics, Pondy has something for everyone!
 |
| La Cafe on the Promenade |
The ornate French buildings stand out in the neatly labeled by-lanes of the French-part of town. This part of the town also
hosts cafes and bakeries with indulging views of the sea. A tip - Don't
go there with any expectations. The Promenade cafes are meant for the
lazy and the laid back. Don't expect hurried service!
The City of Pondicherry have recorded history after the advent of the
Colonial Powers like the Dutch, Portuguese, English and the French.
Though nearby places like Arikamedu, Ariyankuppam, Kakayanthoppe,
Villianur, Bahur which were annexed by the French East India Company
over a period of time and which became the Union Territory of
Pondicherry after Independence have history predating the Colonial
History.
 |
| Goubert Avenue - Mahatma Gandhi Statue |
A marketplace named Poduke or Poduca is recorded as a Roman trading
destination from the mid 1st century. The area was part of the Pallava Kingdom of Kanchipuram in the 4th century. The Cholas of Thanjavur held it from the 10th to 13th centuries, only to be replaced by the Pandya Kingdom in the 13th century. The Vijayanagar Empire took control of almost all the South of India in the 14th century and lasted until 1638, to be supplanted by the Sultan of Bijapur.
The French acquired Puducherry in 1674 and held control, with
occasional interruption from the British and Dutch, until 1954 (de jure
in 1956), when it was incorporated into the Indian Union along with the
rest of French India (Source: Wikipedia).
 |
| A view from Promenade Beach |
 |
| Cafe X'Staci - Pizzas! |
Pondy
has a vast coastline, only a few kilometers of which hosts sand
beaches. Most of the coastline is rocky shelf with drastic dips into the
sea which makes it unsafe for tourists due to rip tides. Other popular beaches are the Auroville beach and Paradise
beach. (Source: wikiTravel)
A must-visit pizzeria is Cafe Xstaci on Mission Street- famous for its wood-fire oven pizzas. Cafe X'staci is run by a local businessmen Manav and Supra in 2010 with
just 15 Pizzas on the menu. Today they've expanded it to over 75 Pizzas!
With their traditional wood fired oven, Cafe X'staci is popular with
locals and tourists alike.
Spending my birthday in Pondy with the Sunrise, Sand and the Sea was indeed invigorating...
I shopped in the by-lanes of the Promenade and ate to heart's content of X'Staci pizza with travelers sharing their travel stories...
Tomorrow... I travel to Rameshwaram...
No comments:
Post a Comment