Pondicherry , located 160 Km south of Chennai. Formerly the capital of French India, it became the territory of Indian Dominion in 1954. The town is well versed with French. French road names and French restaurants are a common sight. The local architecture resembles street houses of paris . The old bunglows are now converted into heritage hotels by leading hotel chains of India .
Set on either side of a canal, Pondicherry splits neatly into two parts. To the west is a bustling Indian market town; to the east, towards the sea, the streets are emptier, cleaner and decidedly French. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, a leading person in the freedom struggle in Bengal , was given asylum here after it became unwise to live close to the British in Calcutta , and his ashram attracts thousands of devotees from all around the world.
