The photo journal, the 2nd in my south India series, features the former French colony of Puducherry (known as Pondicherry prior to 2006).
Puducherry (population about 221,000) is a charming seaside town on the Coromandel coast on the Bay of Bengal, located about 160 kms south of Chennai (Madras). Because the French ruled this territory for almost 300 years (1673 - 1954), they left a profound & lasting influence in the city & region, & today, the city stands as a living monument to that French culture, something quite
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Salt pans enroute from Mamallapuram to Pondicherry.
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Auroville - Matri Mandir (mm) meditation center. This gigantic globe, situated in the middle of the...
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mm2 - closeup Inside the 36m globe is a 70cm crystal ball (by Karl Zeiss) believed...
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mm3 - A gnarly tree on the grounds Auroville, a would-be Utopian city with a soul, an...
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mm4 - A gaggle of friendly schoolgirls at the site, in their school uniforms. All school kids in India wear uniforms...
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and a bevy of beautiful & gracious south Indian women in their colorful salwar kameez outfits.
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Annamalai - our hotel in Pondicherry is centrally located in town & is fairly new (2001). Very nice lobby with...
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Part of the lobby murals
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Another section
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Lovely rooftop pool area & terrace has a large cartoon mosaic mural.
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Swimming with mermaids ;o)
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Mock cave effects, great views
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Lovely viewing terrace
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City view Note the Hindu temple on the lower left.
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My room had 2 beds.
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The debonair doorman, or is that door-wallah? ;o)
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Hey... there's an elephant in the lobby!
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Place de la Republique along the 3km long seafront promenade, with its centerpiece - the Gandhi...
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Old lighthouse built by the French in 1836 was replaced by a new one in 1979. (The Radio Beacon equipment was...
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The other end of the seafront promenade along Goubert Salai (previously known as Beach Road). The...
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Sacred Heart of Jesus church (sh), This Gothic church, in striking cream & brown, was built by French...
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sh2 Although I didn't have time to go inside, it apparently has 3 rare...
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Notre Dame des Anges (nd) (our lady of angels) church, which faces the sea at Rue Dumas, was...
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nd2 - pretty in pink ;o) The church has a famous oil painting that was gifted by Napoleon III, & a...
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Wandering around the French Quarter (fq) aka as "White Town". [The town is divided into 2 sections by a...
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