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Tourism in Puducherry

Far away from the busy metropolises who typically operate like having fastened to a good pair of skating shoes, Puducherry opens the door to a whole new world where peacefulness and serenity painted all over the region. Puducherry is a far famed for its long list of tourist attractions, fancy that, not just tourist attractions, but the wide variety of attractions the territory has to offer is simply incredible.
Puducherry Tourism

Starting from beaches, monuments, heritage buildings, temples, churches, mosques, ashram, parks, lakes, gardens, experiment township, museums to backwater, you name it, the region which is proudly regarded as the French Riviera of the East will never fail to impress the tourists! What makes the union territory of Puducherry special is the delicate flux of unspoilt French culture, and the original Tamil culture could be witnessed all over.

Fundamentally, the union territory of Puducherry is fractioned into four administrative districts, that is to say, Pondicherry, Yanam, Karaikal and Mahe. All the four territorial divisions are located in the coastal spheres. The districts are basically disjointed in nature and are tucked as a part of the neighboring states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
  • Pondicherry and Karaikal district on the east seacoast in Tamil Nadu
  • Yanam district in the southern state of Andra Pradesh (820 km away from the union territory of Puducherry)
  • Mahe district on the west seacoast in Kerala (612 km away from the union territory of Puducherry)
The enchanting urban centre of Pondicherry located on the east seacoast is just 152 km away from the southern metropolis of Chennai. For good or for bad, Puducherry shut its door tight when it is about hill stations and forest areas. What is the big deal when the union territory is already exhibiting an assorted variety of tourist attractions! Generally, while planning a travel itinerary, visitors prefer Puducherry when compared to other tourist locations as the region is singular in so many ways. One thing is for sure that the enthralling ambience of Puducherry with a delicate touch of spiritual vibration all around cannot be experienced anywhere in the country.

The stunning spiritual atmosphere, antique buildings, old-fashioned colonies, spellbinding beaches, French culture combined with the Tamil refinement and whatnot, Puducherry stands up to the expectations of visitors. Owing to the large number of visitors from all around the world to the celebrated Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry houses a lot of hotels and offers a range of accommodation options. From glorious beach resorts to heritage hotels, high-toned commercial hotels to budget hotels, the hotels of Puducherry are sure to cater the needs of all visitors of diverse economic classes. Some of the popular tourist attractions of Puducherry include:

Beaches in Puducherry

Puducherry might be notable for a lot of tourist attractions, but beaches of Puducherry are singular and bear eminence from the other places of interest. As luck would have it, the French window of India, Puducherry features a whopping 45 km long coastline. The awe-inspiring beaches of Puducherry attract people from all over the world irrespective of seasons. Also, beaches of Puducherry are suitable for swimming, sunning; kayaking, scuba diving and other water related sports and fun activities. The beaches of Puducherry include:

  • Promenade Beach
  • Paradise Beach
  • Serenity Beach
  • Auroville Beach

Religious Sites in Puducherry

Puducherry is not just a fascinating city to visit and explore, but the union territory comes loaded with numerous significant and historic religious sites like ashrams, temples, mosques and churches. The far-famed religious sites of Puducherry are seen as the remains of the rich history the region has followed through. Some of the celebrated religious sites of Puducherry can be categorized as

Temples

  • Manakula Vinayagar Koil
  • Vedhapureeswarar Temple
  • Kanniga Parameswari Temple
  • Kamatchiamman Temple
  • Sri Gokilambal Thirukameshwara Temple
Churches
  • Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
  • Church of the Capuchins
  • Notre Dame de’
  • The Notre Dame des Anges
  • The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes
  • Church of Our Lady of Good Health
Mosques
  • Jamai Mosque
  • Meeran Mosque
  • Mulla Mohammed Mosque
  • Kuthbha Mosque

Heritage Buildings and Monuments in Puducherry

A visit to the union territory of Puducherry will never be complete without exploring the awe-inspiring heritage buildings and monuments. Owing to the rich historical background, the region is gifted with a lot of incredible structures erected to commemorate individuals or events. Some of the illustrious heritage buildings and monuments of Puducherry include

Travel and tourism in Pondicherry



  • Children’s Park & Dupleix Statue
  • The Mairie
  • Le Cafe
  • Gandhi Statue
  • French War Memorial
  • 19th Century Light House
  • Aayi Mandapam
  • Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Marine Street

Museums in Puducherry

The union territory of Puducherry continues and concerns for its origination, history, refinement, traditions and customs that are maintained in various museums across the territory. In simple terms, the museums in Puducherry are like a mirror through which people can get to know about the region in a well-defined way. Some of the notable museums of Puducherry include

  • Puducherry Museum
  • Jawahar Toy Museum
  • Bharathidasan Museum
  • Children’s Museum
  • Ananda Ranga Pillai Museum

Backwater and Gardens in Puducherry

The French window of India, the amazing Puducherry offers something to all kinds of visitors. For people who are fond of nature sites, the city boasts stupefying gardens and backwater like Chunnambar backwater, which is nothing short of a tropical heaven. Some of the notable gardens and backwater of Puducherry include

Travel in Pondicherry


  • Puducherry Botanical Gardens
  • Bharathi Park
  • Keezhoor
  • Chunnambar Backwater

Other important tourist attractions in Puducherry:

Sri Aurobindo Ashram

The celebrated Sri Aurobindo Ashram situated on rue de la Marine, is one among the most long-familiar and most affluent place of religious retreat in the country. The ashram attracts followers and visitors from all over the globe through the year for its spiritual singularity. The main building in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram houses the Samadhi of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

Auroville

Auroville, also known as the city of dawn was conceptualized as a home of research into the idealistic of human oneness by the Mother. The actual intention is to construct a unique urban centre where people of different religious beliefs could live unitedly in an absolute state that is calm and tranquil.

Arikamedu

Located just 7 km away from the city centre of Puducherry, Arikamedu is an archaeological land site. Arikamedu is a perfect site for history buffs that the site showcases unknown history through its remains. 

How to Reach Puducherry

Bus: Puducherry is well connected to all towns and cities located across the South Indian states. Puducherry is easily approachable by road, especially by bus. Frequent buses are operated to Puducherry from Chennai Koyembedu bus stand (every 15 minutes).

Train: Although Puducherry is listed in the map of Indian railways depicting the rail network across the nation, train journeys from or to Puducherry is no so popular. However, the union territory is well connected to cities like Trichy, Chennai and Madurai. The Puducherry Railway Station located at Subbiah Salai (South Blvd) is the main railway junction serving the union territory.

Air:  Puducherry Airport (IATA: PNY, ICAO: VOPC) is located at Lawspet. Presently, no commercial flights are operated. Only charter flights are operated as of now.

Nearest Airport: Chennai International Airport (IATA: MAA, ICAO: VOMM)
Distance from Puducherry: 135 km

Puducherry Tourism - Important Contact Information

Email:
For Tourist Information: tourism.pon@nic.in
For Administrative Correspondence: pondytourism@gmail.com

Tourism Information Centre
40,Goubert Avenue
Pondicherry - 605001
Phone Number: +91 413 2339497
Email: tourism.pon@nic.in

Secretary to Government (Puducherry Tourism)
Shri. W.V.R.Murthy, I.A.S 
Chief Secretariat Goubert Avenue,
Pondicherry - 605001
Phone Number: +91 413 2334143, 2221022
Fax: +91 413 2358572
Email: secytourism.pon@.nic.in

Director of Tourism in Puducherry
Dr.A.S.Sivakumar
Dr.Ambedkar Salai, Opp : Indira Gandhi Sports Complex,
Pondicherry - 605001
Phone Number: +91 413 2358570,73,76
Fax: +91 413 2358572
Email: tourism.pon@nic.in, pondytourism@gmail.com

Managing Director (Puducherry Tourism Development Corporation)
Shri. A.S.Sivakumar
21, St. Vincent de Paul Street, Colas Nagar,
Pondicherry - 605001
Phone Number: +91 413 2353532
Fax: +91 413 2356444
Email: wowpondy@gmail.com

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