South India is filled with numbers of popular tourist destinations. Pondicherry is counted among the prime tourist spots in this region. When you plan to visit a place that is known for beautiful sites and peaceful environment, Pondicherry will be foremost in your mind. It is a union territory on the coast of Bay of Bengal, which was under the French rule for a long time. So there are many tourist sites in and around Pondicherry that is also called Puducherry in the Tamil language.
Many tourists come to Pondicherry via roadway from Chennai. They avail the bus services that ply through East Canal Road, via Mahabalipuram to the modern city of Pondicherry. Pondicherry Railway Station is connected to all major cities of India, with plenty of direct trains. Pondicherry Airport at Lawspet is connected to Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore, with flights run by reputed airlines. The winter season from November to March is considered as the ideal time for visiting Pondicherry, as winter is very mild here.
Prominent tourist attractions of Pondicherry that you cannot miss
The great Indian sage Shri Aurobindo lived in Pondicherry for many years. Thus, Aurobindo Ashram is a place of great tourist interest. It was set up in 1926, by Mirra Alfassa, the French disciple of Shri Aurobindo Ghosh who was called as ‘Mother’. Tourists flock here to pay homage to the graves of Shri Aurobindo and Mother under a frangipani tree in the courtyard of Ashram. They also visit the library and spiritual centre of this simple looking Ashram.
Auroville is a township that is very near to Pondicherry and named after Shri Aurobindo. It is also called as ‘City of Dawn’ and created as a universal town on a large piece of wasteland in 1960. Matrimandir is the main attraction of this place, right at the centre of the town. It is a wonderful specimen of architecture, with a dome made of 56 Kg of gold and surrounded by a beautiful garden. There are separate industrial zone, cultural zone, spiritual zone and residential zone in this well-planned township.
As Pondicherry is a seaside city, there are some famous beaches that all tourists love to visit. Paradise Beach or Plage Paradiso is a beautiful beach full of soft, golden sand grains. The tourists enjoy boating on the green backwaters of this beach, surrounded by dense mangrove forests. The bird-lovers can find plenty of wild birds here and they may also spend time in fishing and other water sports.
Pondicherry Beach or Promenade Beach is another popular beach, which has a creek on a side and backwaters. There are some tree houses by the backwaters, where tourists can stay at very low costs. French War Memorial, Statue of Joan of Arc, Statue of Mahatma Gandhi, an old lighthouse of the 19th century, Statue of Dupleix, and Town Hall are the landmarks close to this beach. Rock Beach and Serenity Beach are the other two beaches thronged by the tourists every day.
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is famous for its wonderfully designed Gothic architecture. Various pictures of Jesus and other saints are artistically drawn on coloured glass panels, for beautifying this century-old basilica of Pondicherry. Images of Jesus and Mother Mary are also seen on the entrance door, with Biblical phrases engraved there. There are also some other notable churches here, among which Immaculate Conception Cathedral and Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges are most famous.
Raj Niwas is a palace made in the 18th century, which is now the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry. It is a prominent tourist attraction due to its remarkable gardens, monolithic pillars brought from Gingee Fort and a water monument in the garden. The Ganesh Garden, ISKCON Pondicherry, and Cluny Embroidery Centre also remain crowded with tourists in peak seasons.
There are many other notable tourist attractions in Pondicherry. Pondicherry Botanical Gardens, Pondicherry Museum, Park Monument or Aayi Mandapam, Ousteri Lake, and Bharati Government Park are famous sites of tourist interests. Shri Manakula Vinayagar Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha, still popular among the devotees. Thirukaameeswarar Temple is located in Villianur village that is only 10 Km from Pondicherry, dedicated to Lord Shiva and Mother Kokilambigai. Varadaraja Perumal Temple, Kanniga Parameswari Temple, and Shri Karaneswara Nataraja Temple are other famous Hindu temples of this city.
Different hotel accommodations available for tourists in Pondicherry
Due to the immense popularity of Pondicherry as a tourist destination, numerous hotels are now actively operating in different parts of the city. Now, the tourists can check online all the facilities and accommodation costs offered by different reputed hotels in Pondicherry. Thus, they can easily book the most suitable hotel rooms, before starting their journey to this city.
All the hotels are located in places that are easily accessible from Pondicherry Railway Station and airport, for the convenience of the tourists. Moreover, some hotels offer transport facilities to and from the airport or railway station, for the guests who have booked rooms there.
The rooms of these hotels are spacious enough for the couples and their children below the age of 12, who can stay for free with their parents. These air-conditioned rooms contain televisions, telephones, Wi-Fi connections, tea/coffee makers, refrigerators, wardrobes, luggage racks, mini bars, iron with ironing boards, and mirrors.
The attached private bathrooms have showers and hot water supply, along with free essential toiletries. Some hotels provide free newspapers, mineral water bottles to their guests. Free laundry service is also available there and the guests need to keep their washable clothes in laundry bags kept in their rooms.
The accommodation costs at all these hotels are affordable for the common people. Some budget hotels offer really cheap rates for the tourists and their services are not much lesser comfortable than that of expensive luxury hotels.
Most of the hotels are located in places with splendid scenic beauty. The guests are also impressed by the interior decorations and warm behaviour of the hotel staffs, making their vacations more enjoyable.
No comments:
Post a Comment