The Sri Aurobindo Ashram located on Rue de la Marine, is one of the most well known and wealthiest ashrams in India, with devotees from India and all over the world flocking towards it for spiritual salvation. Its spiritual tenets represent a synthesis of yoga and modern science. It is open to the public daily between 0800-1200hrs and 1400-1800hrs. Children below 3 years of age are not allowed into the Ashram and photography is allowed only with permission of the Ashram authorities.

Auroville was founded as a project of the Sri Aurobindo Society on Wednesday 28 February 1968 by Mirra Alfassa, "The Mother". She was spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo, who believed that "man is a transitional being". Mother expected that this experimental "universal township" would contribute significantly in the "progress of humanity towards its splendid future by bringing together people of goodwill and aspiration for a better world.

Auroville is meant to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity."

Religion tourism is a popular trend among the tourists and hence ixigo brings to you all the prominent Hindu pilgrimages in Pondicherry right here. Check out information, location and other details about all the temples that you can visit during your stay in Pondicherry. Fulfill your spiritual quest by offering prayers at the religious sites. Some of the Pondicherry temples are quite ancient and considered highly sacred. Pilgrims turn up in large numbers to seek blessings of the deities to which these Hindu Mandirs are dedicated. You can check out all the essential information here and plan your trip to these shrines likewise. With scores of temples in Pondicherry, it can take a couple of days or more to pay a visit to all of them. During the festive seasons, there is a huge rush of pilgrims to these temples. So, make your hotel bookings in advance and choose the hotel location as per your convenience. On your quest of religion tourism, you can further visit the popular churches in Pondicherry.

Aayi Mandapam (Park Monument) is a white monument in Pondicherry, India built during the time of Napoleon III, Emperor of France. It is situated in center of Bharathi park. The monument commemorates the provision of water to the French city during his reign. It was named after a lady courtesan called Ayi. She destroyed her own house to erect a water reservoir to supply water for the city.

Established in the year 1826 by C.S. Perrotet, this 22-acre park is located favourably near the southern entrance of Pondicherry's New Bus Stand. Over 1500 species of plants populate this park – some of which are indigenous to the region and some brought from other parts of the world. To help to easily understand about the flora, each plant/tree has been labelled with common, scientific and locally called names. Do not miss to attend the musical fountain show that is organised twice in the evening (during weekends)..

Chunnambar is situated 8 kms from Puducherry, along the Cuddalore Main Road. The beach at Chunnambar also known as Plage Paradiso or 'Paradise Beach' is located near the mouth of the backwater. The sand is pristine and the water is clean.Chunnambar Beach and Backwater Resort, a PTDC enterprise, has boating, backwater boat tours, trekking and picnics on Paradise Beach for visitors and their friends and families.

Pondicherry Museum has a gallery with sculptures and has the remains of archaeological findings from the Arikamedu Roman settlement. The museum also has a collection of rare bronzes and stone sculptures from the Pallava and Chola dynasties and artifacts excavated from Arikamedu (an ancient port just 7 km from city that had trade links with the Roman empires).

Pondicherry is home to several famous Churches.One such example of a church is the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This church is full of eye pleasing paintings in stained glass and also has beautiful marble decorations.This church was supposed to have been erected in 1700s by French Missionaries

And Church of Our Lady of Good Health Church of Capuchins holds the distinction of being one of the first churches in Pondycherry. Though this church has lost its old charm; it is still revered and houses an orphanage

Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus situated on the south boulevard of Pondicherry in Puducherry, India, is an oriental specimen of Gothic architecture. It contains rare stained glass panels depicting events from the life of Christ and saints of the Catholic Church.[1] In recent years it has become one of the famous pilgrimage spots for Christians.

Serenity Beach Pondicherry is a 1.5km long, rocky shoreline. Some of the bloodiest Anglo-French battles were fought on these sands. Today, however, this beach is ideal for a calm (or romantic) stroll. Or one can just sit on the parapet by the sea (or on one of the rocks) and gaze out at the rolling waves for hours and hours, or watch fishermen at work, or just enjoy the sea-spray.The Pondicherry beach surely is a lovely place to visit in the evenings too.

A regular boat on a regular basis takes around 15-20 minutes of the time to reach on the island of paradise beach. These boats leave from Chunnambar boat-house which is situated on the Pondicherry-Cuddalore highway, around 7 kms from the main city of Pondicherry. Sand of the Paradise beach is soft in nature, unlike coarse sand of the Auroville beach. Thus making them a perfect ground for sports and having fun. However, the under currents at the beach are strong and it is not advisable to venture deeper into the sea. The sand at the Plage paradiso appears as a mixture of golden reflection over silvery sheet beside a turquoise water vessel. The vividness of the colors and the peace are a treat to our soul.

The century old man-made Ousteri Lake - also referred to as Osudu Lake - is situated about 10 kms from Puducherry town and has been recognized as one of the important wetlands of Asia by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and it is the most important freshwater lake in the Pondicherry region.

PTDC operates a small boat club at the lake. The 20-seater boats offer a 30min ride that allows visitors to enjoy the cool breeze and visual treats. If lucky, one could spot birds rarely seen in the region.

Arikamedu, the ancient Roman trade centre Arikamedu, a fishing colony was used as a port for trading with the Romans and the Greco-Romans. An ancient Chola coin dating back to 1 B.C. suggests involvement of Cholas in various port related activities. Some names on seals that were found here have been mentioned in the Sangam literature as well. Besides maritime commerce, there seems to be evidence of inland trade with other 'megalithic' sites such as Kaveripattinam, Alagankulam, Musiri and Suttukeni which are situated along river valley routes. Jouveau-Dubreail identified .

Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram, is a town in Kancheepuram district By the 7th century it was a port city of South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas. It has a group of sanctuaries, which was carved out of rock along the Coromandel coast in the 7th and 8th centuries : rathas (temples in the form of chariots), mandapas (cave sanctuaries), giant open-air rock reliefs such as the famous Descent of the Ganges, and the Shore Temple, with thousands of sculptures to the glory of Shiva. The Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Thiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, India. It is significant to the Hindu sect of Saivism as one of the temples associated with the five elements, the Pancha Bhoota Stalas, and specifically the element of fire, or Agni. Shiva is worshiped as Annamalaiyar.The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m,The present masonry structure was built during the Chola dynasty in the 9th century, while later expansions are attributed to Vijayanagar rulers of the Sangama Dynasty (1336–1485 CE).

The Gingee Fort or senji fort is impossible to miss during a trip in Pondicherry. The fort is so fortified, that Shivaji, the Maratha king, ranked it as the "most impregnable fortress in India" and it was called the "Troy of the East" by the British. fort once ruled by Raja Desingh and his successors, and now in its irrecoverable ruins. It was a fortified strong hold built around the hills and on their tops in Gingee in 1200 AD, ruled by different Indian kings, later it fell and foreigners captured. The remains of the fort are left as monuments which decidedly depict and different cultures and civilization that existed these days.