Hotels- Three Star Hotels

Abirami Residency
Address:	No 92, Anna Salai, Puducherry, Pondicherry - 605001
Phone Number:	0413 - 2229881, 2229882,

Anandha Inn Hotel
Address:	No 154, S V Patel Road, Puducherry, Pondicherry - 605001
Phone Number:	0413 - 2330711, 2233000,

Annamalai International Hotel
Address:	No 479, Kamaraj Salai, Near Rajiv Gandhi Statue, Saram, Puducherry, Pondicherry - 605013
Phone Number:	0413 - 2247001, 2247002,

Ashok Hotel
Address:	Chinna Kalapet, E C R Road, Puducherry, Pondicherry - 605014
Phone Number:	0413 - 2655160, 2655161,

Ginger Hotel
Address:	Saram Revenue Village, Karuvadikuppam Main Road, Muthialpet, Puducherry, Pondicherry
Phone Number:	0413 - 6663333

Mass Hotel
Address:	No 152, Maraimalai Adigal Salai, Puducherry, Pondicherry - 605001
Phone Number:	0413 - 4207001, 4207002,

Soorya Heritage Inn Hotel
Address:	No 499, M G Road, Muthialpet, Puducherry, Pondicherry - 605003
Phone Number:	0413 - 2225193

Sunway Hotel
Address:	No 155-D, Near RTO Office, Mudaliarpet, Puducherry, Pondicherry - 605004
Phone Number:	0413 - 2281608

Sri Aurobindo Ghose

This great person has made an impact both for himself as well as those who follow his preaching. Born in Kolkata in the year 15th August, 1872, Aurobindo spent his early life for a while in England and was given qualitative higher studies and got his graduation from the King’s College, Cambridge. The field in which he got specialized with was Classical Tripos. He also cleared the prestigious Civil Service Exam and returned to India in 1893. He worked for the Princely State of Baroda and was also a professor in Baroda College during this time for nearly 13 years. He fought for the independence of the country and then in 1910, moved to the French Pondicherry and led a spiritual life. He practiced Yoga and Modern Science. He founded and established Sri Aurobindo Ashram with the help of the Mother, who is his disciple and spiritual collaborator. He was a prolific writer. He wrote The Life Divine, and The Synthesis of Yoga and Savitri.

Ashram is Pondicherry

When a tourist visits Pondicherry he would surely never miss the opportunity of visiting the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. This world renowned ashram was founded in the year 1926, by Sri Aurobindo, a revolutionary turned Yogi from Bengal along with The Mother (Mira Alfassa) a French painter as well as a sculptor. It is indeed the best known landmark of Pondicherry and the ashram attracts people from all over the world. Here one experiences the serenity, the great peace and all the wisdom practiced by ancient saints and sages of India. The main ashram building is situated at the marine street just behind the Raj Nivas which is surrounded by several buildings involved with educational and cultural activities of the Aurobindo Society. The central courtyard of the main ashram building has the flower festooned memorials of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo under the frangipani tree.

One can find peace prevailing in this memorial place. People come and meditate in this ashram. The Mother’s love for flowers is very well exhibited as the lush gardens expose this situation so as to fulfill her liking. The building on the eastern sea front of the city served as the residence of the Master and the Mother. Sri Aurobindo elaborated a system of Internal Yoga in order to practice Yoga and Modern Science. This unusual exercise of spirituality is intended to make life more beautiful, not by neglecting the world but by living as a part of it. The dwellers in this Ashram have formed a spiritual community that gives them an aura of sublime peace and calmness prevailing through Pondicherry. Now the ashram consists of 2000dwellers including 400 students of the centre of education. They work towards attaining the life-affirming aim of the Master. The Ashram in the present is like a mini township. It is an awesome estate of 120 buildings. These buildings serve as educational institutes and as industries. It takes care of the needs of the inmates of the ashram and various departments look after the basic requirements of food, clothing, and shelter, as well as medical care.

One can find farms, gardens, a printing press, some small scale industries, libraries and facilities for recreation as well as cultural activities. An important part of the ashram is the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education. The system practiced here is entirely different. The belief is that every child is unique in its thinking and the centre of education tries to help them grow and nurture them in their individual way and leave the choice to the children. They don’t mingle them together into the frame of one particular syllabus.

According to Sri Aurobindo – the first principle of true teaching is that nothing can be taught. The teacher is not an instructor or a task master rather he is a guide or a helper to him. The teacher need not teach what knowledge is to the child but shows him the way to go about developing knowledge with their talent. The children have the free will to choose the subjects of their liking and the guides as well. They can concentrate on the subject they have chosen and neglect the other subjects. This is an entirely different setup that is practiced successfully in this centre for education. The system is integral in its approach and it provides a scope for simultaneous developments of the child physically, vitally, mentally and in psychic aspects as well.

Some other attractions for the visitors include Sri Aurobindo Handmade Paper Factory which is run by the Ashram. This is an internationally renowned factory which produces quality handmade paper. Apart from paper there are a wide range of exquisite products produced here. The collections of the works written by Sri Aurobindo are sold at the Ashram Book Shop located in the premises of the Ashram. Visitors to the Ashram have the facility to stay in the guest houses which are cheap and excellent. This Ashram has influenced several other yoga learning centres. The most important among these yoga learning centres is the famous International Centre for Yoga Education and Research which is also known as the Ananda Ashram.

Pondicherry Its uniqueness

his unique union territory, Pondicherry comprises of four scattered coastal enclaves-
1.Pondicherry now called as Puducheri,
2. Karaikal which is in Tamilnadu,
3.Yanam in Andhra Pradesh and
4.Mahe in Kerala which lies on the west coast.
These places have preserved the French heritage and its cultural aspects which are unique in India. Pondicherry is a combination of cultures. The people here speak about 55 languages. The natural beauty mesmerizes and influences the visitors. People who love to go for shopping can select Pondicherry as goods in this town can be bought for cheaper prices and the shoppers can bargain and pay the minimal charges for goods to their satisfaction. The golden sea shores, the exclusive sunset cruises, the enchanting moonlit dinners and the blissful lagoons have given the lovely resort a reputation of being the most appropriate place for those in quest of a relaxed and leisurely holiday. Bicycle is the best mode of transport for moving around and visiting the beauty of Pondicherry.

Pondcherry

The capital city of this union territory is Pondicherry. It covers a total land area of 492 Square Kilometers. The population of this town is 9,73,829. The main languages spoken here are Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, English and French. There are four districts which comprise this territory namely Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yanam and Mahe. The best season to visit Pondicherry is between July and February. This town is connected by airways, by railways, and by roadways. Pondicherry is a peaceful city. Pondicherry is referred by names such as ‘Quintessence of French Culture’, ‘India’s Little France’ and ‘The French Riviera of the East’. This territory was under the French rule for nearly 281 years. Still it has the French flavor in it as one can see by the grand colonial mansions, beautiful boulevards, and placid promenades, spellings on sign boards and buildings, names of roads and public places.

Pondicherry is a well planned and well built town. This is a typical example as one can learn the way the French people gave importance to order and flair. They are known for their rich and quality living. The French too had an eye on the wealth and the fertility of India. Thus the French dream of Indian empire began and got over by establishing their supremacy in Pondicherry. The French constructed many buildings based on their craft and grand architecture. They developed an oval shaped, lovely ‘boulevard town’ – the French quarter. This French quarter was laid out in a geometric grid pattern with straight roads intersecting at right angles. A boulevard encircled the town and a grand canal, divided it into two sections- one the Tamil side called as Ville Noire or the black town and the other, a European side which was known as Ville Blanche or the white town. The impressive Ville Blanche or white town resembles a typical Medieval French township clotted with fine built monuments, government buildings, majestic mansions, elegant churches and lush green parks.