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Published: November 25th 2014
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Traveling is one such domain which I prefer not to miss. My family generally plans an annual outing and I am always into it. This time it's South India.Puducherry or Pondicherry meaning “new settlement”. “Puducherry” is the French interpretation of the original name “Puducheri”
From Chennai early morning we started in a rented vehicle, Tata Indica. Chennai is situated 160 km north of Pondicherry i.e.non- stop three hour road journey. The East Coast Road, commonly called ECR road from Chennai to Pondicherry is a scenic highway. The seashore en route is irresistible resulting in a number of stops. The drive parallel to the coast of Bay of Bengal is a wonderful experience although we cannot see the sea until the last few miles. This route passes through Mahabalipuram, Kalpakkam, Pudupattinam, Idaikkazhinadu, Mudaliarkuppam Marakkanam etc. Our driver told a lot about his native land. He is a tamilian.Our first stop was the famous golden beach park. We took some clicks in front of the artistically fabricated gate. There were rows of elephant and guard statues depicting icon of protection .We had visited it during our Chennai trip so we didn’t waste our time and set off. Next was the famous crocodile park. The park is full of crocodiles,gharials and aligators.Its a centre of herpetology-eggs of different species and an aquarium of hatchlings are kept for display.Hordings displayed the variety of species found all over the world, their life cycle, their process of reproduction and unique characteristics. There was a stall where every bought out item was imitations of crocodiles. There were crocodiles in water, at bank, on branches-all dead lying in the scorching heat. It seems they are overpopulated. The whole park consists of plants and herbs of different kinds. There were aerial roots, stilt roots etc similar to those of mangroves. Besides these some tortoise and turtles were also kept. It was around 8.30am and we didn’t have breakfast. We stopped in a hotel “A2B-Adyar Ananda Bhavan” .All south Indian dishes. We had dosa.It was hot and delicious.
Around 10.30 am we reached Mamallapuram or Mahabalipuram.There we saw the famous Krishna's Butterball. It is a giant natural rock on the brink of a hillside, seemingly mysterious as the area nearby is very slippery. The hillside makes a great natural slide and it was simply impossible with slippers on. I crawled with bare feet but the burning and slippery rocks threatened my steps every moment. We somehow balanced and took snaps sitting underneath it, posing like holding it etc.There are many huge rocks in that place, some of them has been crafted beautifully. The area was flocked with tourist both Indian and foreigners. There were some famous places like Pandavas rathas, Arjuna’s penance, Shore temple etc.The area brimmed with rock-cut caves and numerous temples. Some of the temples were even carved out of one giant rock. We were in dearth of time so could not visit this place exquisitely. We just listen to the stories and history of this place from our driver who was our guide all the way. Actually you need another day devoted to this place. We just stopped for a while and took a family snap in front of the sculptures on the way. In a nutshell, Mamallapuram is a good stopover. Then we set off for Puducherry. This journey is very popular among the riders. On one side the never ending sea “Bay of Bengal” and on the other side the beautiful coconut trees standing in rows. The panoramic view makes the journey worthwhile. Along the way we crossed people most in half lungi riding a bike-typical south Indian look. We pass by Mudaliarkuppam, a place which has a cool boat house. Then we crossed Marakkanam .There were fields where salt is separated, strained and purified for utility. All along the way we saw villagers seating under the trees and selling coconut water. Lots of tourist comes here every year and this business is a profitable one. We too enjoyed the cool coconut water. We crossed the magnificent welcome gate; engraved in it was the word “Pondicherry”. Pondicherry has a feeling, an essence of peace. It’s a small town with a tinge of Mediterranean flavour. The wide boulevard, yellow coloured mansions, elegant churches and green parks preserving the French heritage make this town a unique one in India. Around 1 PM we reached the famous ”Aurobindo Ashram”.Puducherry is famous for this tranquil ashram where devotees from India and all over the world flocks to it for spiritual salvation. The Aurobindo Ashram is located on rue de la Marine, one of the most well known ashrams in India. It is open to the public daily between 8AM to 12Noon and 2PM to 6PM.So instead of waiting; we decided to visit the temple, Manakula Vinayagar Koil. It’s a Ganesha temple more than 300 years old .It has a golden spire and walls portraying different forms of Ganesha. The temple also has a smaller shrine dedicated to Lord Murugan, who is Ganesha’s younger brother. Thousands of devotees visit it every day. The temple also has an elephant; Lakshmi who attracts lots of devotees specially children. In our country the blessings of elephant is considered sacred. Lakshmi uses her trunk to shower blessings and to eat eateries from the devotees. People gather around her to get their share of blessings. My small brother and I too went near her, patted her and gave fruits to eat. She stretched her trunk, ate those and put her trunk on our heads showering blessings. We took lots of pictures with her, while our mother was busy offering her prayers to God for our good. It was a long queue. We entered the main mandir, prasad and anjali was offered to us. We saw the portraits of Ganesha in different forms. By now we were terribly hungry. Our driver took us to the restaurant “Adayar Ananda Bhavan” at J.N.Street.It was a branch of the same network of restaurants. These restaurants are very popular in south India. We had south Indian thali with dahi.Its omi-coconut oil, a treat to our appetite. My mother and I went to the market just to have a glimpse of all the goods to soothe our shopaholic temperament. We proceeded to the Ashram. The Ashram was set up in 1926 by Sri Aurobindo Ghose, one of India’s greatest philosopher-poets. There was a photo gallery displaying the photos of Aurobindo and his disciples and writings depicting his preaching. His philosophy deeply rooted in yoga and his writings inspired a number of followers. One of them was a Persian called Mirra Alfassa, who was so inspired by his philosophy that she stayed on in puducherry and was instrumental in establishment of the ashram. After Aurobindo’s death in 1950, the running of the Ashram was entrusted to his chief disciple, Mirra Alfassa, also known as ‘The Mother’. The placidity of the ashram makes one feel the happiness of salvation. There lies the grave of the founder bedecked with flowers and incense stick. Visit to puducherry is incomplete without a walk along beach road .Most of the beaches is a little away from the town except for small stretch of sand on Goubert Avenue. The 1.5 km long walkway running along the beach is the delight of puducherry. There are various monuments along the avenue like the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the War memorial, the statue of Joan of Arc, the heritage town hall, old light house, the old customs house. The Mairie, located on Goubert Avenue is a charming mustard-white building, facing the sea. It has an appealing French ambience. Today it houses the offices of the Puducherry Municipality. A four-meter statue of Mahatma Gandhi is surrounded by eight magnificent granite pillars.The French War Memorial on Goubert Avenue is solemn reminder of those brave soldiers who laid down their lives during the First World War. We captured each monument with the moment in our camera to be cherished later. Lastly we sat at the rocky beach with fruit salad in our hand relaxing; the cool splatter of sea water hitting our face every time the huge waves collides the rocks. The bright blue sky giving its way to a hazy tint of orange, before our eyes, marvels us as the sun sets in the horizon.
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