Fromage, Croissants et Plus

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Les Francais set up Pondicherry as a colonial outpost many moons ago, and as a result it is a curious blend of France and India. 'White Town', the old colonial district, is quiet, tree-lined and full of beautiful colonial buildings, while the rest of the city is as chaotic and horn-obsessed as any other Indian city. With the French culinary influences, we were able to enjoy some fine cheeses and baked treats with our masala veggies and roti. The surrounding area in the state of Tamil Nadu is renowned for its colourful temples, ashrams, gurus and 'alternative communities'. We hired an auto rickshaw driver for the day who was given free rein to find us some of the most interesting (re: quirky) temples in the area. He didn't disappoint.

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Photos

Golden Ganesh
What's luckier than Ganesh? A giant golden Ganesh

Holy Cow
What's more sacred than a cow in India? A giant cow with a family of deities sprinkled all over it.

Kali Temple
It was as crazy as it looks

Jaws of Death
Remove your shoes, navigate around dried dung, take off your shirt (men only) and walk down into the mouth of the beast. Once down in the dark, incense-filled chamber, enjoy the clamour of cymbals, conch shells and clapping. It was quite an attack on the senses.

Blessed Beast
Offer the friendly pachyderm some grass, bananas (or rupees) and it will bless you with a tender snout kiss on the head.

Getting Blessed
Four tonnes of blessings and one wet kiss on the forehead.

Peanuts Anyone
Picking up some roasted peanuts on the breezy Pondicherry waterfront. They weren't for the elephant.

Matrimandir
This is the spiritual heart of Auroville, an 'alternative community' that we checked out (google it!). Despite the tasty food, we declined to sign up.

Pondicherry Parents
'The Mother' and Sri Aurobindo: founders of
Auroville and the 'yogis' behind a devout following in Pondicherry, spiritually and commercially.