Puducherry, the Place with a French Past

India is full of its colonial past. One such place is the Puducherry Union Territory present in the Southern half of India. It lives with its remnants of the French past. The state of Tamil Nadu surrounds the place. In past, it was called Pondicherry but they changed it in 2006. The main pull of the place is its location by the Bay of Bengal. You are up close and personal with the breeze throughout the day. Till date, French is the official language of the Union Territory. You will see the influence of French in the city planning, the villas adorn a similar style and some streets retain their French names. This small place will definitely melt your hearts when you visit it.

How to reach Puducherry?

Whenever we are traveling to a place we need to figure out the transportation. Puducherry is quite well connected with all parts of India. Some ways to reach it are:

Via Flight

This is the fastest way to reach Puducherry. You can easily get cheap flights to the Pondicherry airport if you reserve them in advance. The main town is just a few kilometres from the airport. Flights are available on a daily basis.

Via Train

Indians love their trains and they can obviously take it to reach Puducherry. The Puducherry Railway Station is well served and you can choose trains to reach the place.

Via Road

Some people like to travel via the road. The highways that lead to Puducherry are well-maintained and connected. Apart from that, you can also take a bus to Puducherry from cities of nearby states.

Places to see in Puducherry:

Every street of Puducherry will tell a tale of a past. It is drenched with the nostalgia left behind by the French. Here are some of the places that everyone should visit in Puducherry:

• Auroville: This is a unique place in India as they want to give rise to a society without inequality. It has the tag of being a 'Universal Town'. You will love the friendliness of the people residing there. It is a total peaceful, clean and healthy place. It also has nice accommodation facilities for tourists. 'Mantrimandir' is the key attraction in this spot. It is situated near the main town of Pondicherry.
• Paradise Beach: As we said, Puducherry is situated beside a coast. So, you cannot miss out on this lovely beach. The location of the beach is in Chunnambar which is close to the Pondicherry town. You can rent some chairs and sit by the ocean for hours at a stretch. The journey to the beach is also amazing as you will need to take a ferry through the beautiful backwaters.
• Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: The building of this church is influenced by Gothic culture. It is about 3 Km away from the Pondicherry town. The church was erected in 1908. It gives you a view of the rich Catholic culture that was present in the past. You can even attend masses here as the door is always open for you.
• Arikamedu: This place is a key part of knowing that India had a rich trading culture with the Romans. It is in ruins right now but still you can visit the place. This is definitely for the history buffs who are pulled towards neglected places. There is a lot of greenery which is ideal for a few quiet minutes of solace. The only thing that remains are the bricks and pillars of the past.

Definitely pay a visit to Puducherry if you want to see a hidden gem of India. You will get along nice with people and you can also visit the nearby fishing towns. We are sure that it will be an amazing experience when you visit this historical French influenced Union Territory.