Trip to Pondicherry!!

The whole idea started in our 4th semester itself. After our incredible trip to Mahabalipuram, many of us had plans for our 4th semester but apparently none of them worked. Our plan to pondicherry was finally executed this semester. Though the turnout number was less, we finally geared up to PONDY! We started our journey at 4am in a MINI VAN. The place is around 160 km from Chennai. 

Away from the hustle and bustle of big cities, Pondicherry is a quiet and peaceful town.The intrinsic beauty of Pondy is conspicuous in the oldest part of the town which flanks the seachore boulevard. 

Colonial buildings, line along a grid of straight clean streets and house the French institutions, and private homes. The famous "Sri Aurobindo Ashram" is located in the same area. The visitor is greeted by the ornate garden with splashy flowers and fruits. 

We then visited "Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar Temple" which is located next to aurobindo ashram. It is dedicated to Lord Ganesha and is a very interesting Modern Temple one must see. It has an amazing collection of Ganesha idols of different kinds from all over the world. The silver and gold chariots were beautifully crafted. The temple premises had many shops where we could get souvenirs. 



The peaceful ashram and Temple visit made us energetic. Gearing up to have more fun, we reached "Paradise Beach". It is a beautiful island and the visit started with a wonderful boat ride, clean water, beautiful and serene beach. The beach palm trees and huts makes it more interesting. We played in the shallow and beautiful beach for around 2 hours. It was EPIC! Insane FUN! Unlike other beaches in India, this has changing rooms and showers. A place to throw away all your sorrows and enjoy with your friends and family. Truly a 'Paradise'.  

We had lunch in 'Cafe Xtasi'. Believe me, we put a lot of fight to eat there, but were disappointed with the food :( We also visited "Auroville", an experimental township in Villuppuram district.

Though we didn't have much time to explore it, we visited "Guest house" and checked out the dazzling "Matrimandir", a golden metallic sphere in the centre of the town (from distant) :P. Matrimandir is equipped with a solar panel. After sunset, the sunrays on the globe is replaced by a beam of solar powered lights. 

On the whole, it is a place which captivates all kinds of tourists. Place to visit to take the pace of life down a few notches!