Pondicherry – Saturday 28 September to Monday 30 September
Pondicherry, or its official name of Puducherry, is a coastal town on India's eastern seaboard. Officially known as Puducherry, this city has been strongly influenced by the French (and other cultures) and is now part of the Union Territory of Puducherry, surrounded by the state of Tamil Nadu.
Before arriving at our hotel late on Saturday, we toured the Gingee Fort, which was established in the 1st century. Gingee Fort is an old fortified village. This fort was ranked as ‘the most impregnable fortress in India’ by Shivaji, the Maratha King. The British called it the ‘Troy of the East’.
This fort was being constructed around the same time as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, with many Mayan and Tibetan influences and ancient hieroglyphics. This old village with castles (one for the king, and one for the queen which were on different rocky hills), an enormous granary which held enough for 3 years for the entire village, an amphitheatre, a prison, a gymnasium, a bath and hospital for the elephants, and many high look outs to keep watch for enemies.
The geology of the fort area is very interesting and apparently the site is frequented by many Australians and others interested in ancient history and geology. I can understand why. We were fascinated by the stories and the grandeur of the forts. How did they build them so high on the hills so long ago? Had it not been so hot, some of us would have loved to have climbed the 900+ steps to reach the top where the king's palace had been built. (The queen's palace, on the nearby hill, was once accessible via a tunnel.)
Once settled into our hotel we planned a different pace for this weekend. We took advantage of in-house massages and the top floor pool which had great views to the Bay of Bengal.
Pondicherry has a number of fascinating places to visit, including Auroville (a definite must-see but to really get the essence of the site many, many hours need to be spent there), the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the beautiful Sacred Heart of Jesus Church.
Our guide on Sunday delighted us with a walk through the markets, which were as colourful, noisey and interesting as the others we had visited. The fish market was great, and the number of women selling fish far out-weighed that of men, however, we were told that the men have cottoned on to the fact that there is money to be made in selling fish .... times are changing! Our tour was interrupted by a much-needed cold drink and tasty delight at the French patisserie. We momentarily forgot where we were.
Being blessed by the temple elephant was an experience. Food and money were offered to the elephant, which was taken by the trunk, collected by a man, then the giver was 'blessed' by the elephant via a touch on the head with the trunk.
We caught up with Salma again and met some of the staff and children of the Pondicherry Vruksha Montessori Schools. We finished off the night with a walk along the Promenade down by the ocean. Cars and tuk tuks are not allowed on the road by the beach in the early morning and evenings, so walking during those times is delightful.
Before arriving at our hotel late on Saturday, we toured the Gingee Fort, which was established in the 1st century. Gingee Fort is an old fortified village. This fort was ranked as ‘the most impregnable fortress in India’ by Shivaji, the Maratha King. The British called it the ‘Troy of the East’.
This fort was being constructed around the same time as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, with many Mayan and Tibetan influences and ancient hieroglyphics. This old village with castles (one for the king, and one for the queen which were on different rocky hills), an enormous granary which held enough for 3 years for the entire village, an amphitheatre, a prison, a gymnasium, a bath and hospital for the elephants, and many high look outs to keep watch for enemies.
The geology of the fort area is very interesting and apparently the site is frequented by many Australians and others interested in ancient history and geology. I can understand why. We were fascinated by the stories and the grandeur of the forts. How did they build them so high on the hills so long ago? Had it not been so hot, some of us would have loved to have climbed the 900+ steps to reach the top where the king's palace had been built. (The queen's palace, on the nearby hill, was once accessible via a tunnel.)
Once settled into our hotel we planned a different pace for this weekend. We took advantage of in-house massages and the top floor pool which had great views to the Bay of Bengal.
Pondicherry has a number of fascinating places to visit, including Auroville (a definite must-see but to really get the essence of the site many, many hours need to be spent there), the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the beautiful Sacred Heart of Jesus Church.
Our guide on Sunday delighted us with a walk through the markets, which were as colourful, noisey and interesting as the others we had visited. The fish market was great, and the number of women selling fish far out-weighed that of men, however, we were told that the men have cottoned on to the fact that there is money to be made in selling fish .... times are changing! Our tour was interrupted by a much-needed cold drink and tasty delight at the French patisserie. We momentarily forgot where we were.
Being blessed by the temple elephant was an experience. Food and money were offered to the elephant, which was taken by the trunk, collected by a man, then the giver was 'blessed' by the elephant via a touch on the head with the trunk.
We caught up with Salma again and met some of the staff and children of the Pondicherry Vruksha Montessori Schools. We finished off the night with a walk along the Promenade down by the ocean. Cars and tuk tuks are not allowed on the road by the beach in the early morning and evenings, so walking during those times is delightful.
