WALKING TOURS
Bon Voyage!!!

     puducherry has a wealth of heritage buildings of both French and Tamil architectural styles. The grid patterned layout of town divides the town into two distinct settlements. The French section is on the east of the canal that bisects the town while the Tamil section is essentially on the western side. Being a small laid back place, puducherry is pleasant to explore on foot. We have put together four walks covering the best of puducherry.

 ASHRAM WALK

     Starting Point                 : Ashram Office (beach)
     Walk ends at                 : Ashram Dining Room
     Distance covered           : 1 Km.
     Approximate time taken : 30 – 45 minutes.

     Aurobindo Ashram since its establishment almost a century back has played a significant role in the socio-economic-spiritual fabric of puducherry. Therefore it is not surprising that the Ashram and its various branches together occupy some of the best heritage properties in puducherry. The ‘Ashram Walk’ covers the northern section of French puducherry, taking you through many grand buildings of French lineage, including the Raj Nivas, French Institute. Also included in the walk are some shops that sell products manufactured by the different Ashram ancillaries.

 PLACES COVERED

     1. Ashram Office (starting point)
     2. Ashram Library
     3. French Consulate
     4. French Institute
     5. Ashram Playground
     6. Ashram Art House
     7. Le Foyer de Soldat – Legion half for soldiers who served in the
         different French wars.
     8. Ashram and Samadhi
     9. Gloconde – Main residential quarters for the Ashramites.
   10. Auroshika (shop)
   11. La Tienda (shop)
   12. Boutique d’ Auroville (shop)
   13. Auroshree (shop)
   14. Vak Bookshop (shop)

 WALK ON FRENCH HERITAGE

     Starting Point                 : puducherry Tourist Information Centre
     Walk ends at                 : puducherry Tourist Information Centre
     Distance                        : Approx. 2 k.m
     Approximate time taken : 1 to 1 ½ hrs.

     The buildings in French section of puducherry are an enduring legacy of French history in India. It tells the story of a colonial adventure in a far away land, fighting many odds, overcoming a new and difficult terrain and the historic rivalry between the European powers of the time including the Danes, the Dutch and the British besides the French.

     The French Heritage walk takes you through streets that are laid out in a well planned grid pattern. The buildings in the French section are easily recognizable by their ornate gateways arches, garden courtyards with multicoloured bougainvilleas and the buildings themselves painted in pleasant hues of lime and peach. The grand French names through unpronounceable, add a certain charm. Bon Voyage!!!

 PLACES COVERED

        1. Department of Tourism - Tourist Information Centre (starting point) Collect Maps and other  

            information from the helpful information counter.
        2. Hotel de Vile - The building housed the town hall during the French administration. It is now the   

    puducherry Municipal Office.
3. French War Memorial -
4. Gandhi Statue - The statue of the most popular Indian leader on the beach front is surrounded by  

    eight carved pillars from the nearby Gingee Fort.
5. Toy Museum
6. Old Light House - built in 1836 A.D
7. Nehru Statue
8. Romain Rolland Library
9. puducherry Museum The museum hosed in a pleasant French period building has some   

      interesting collections including some charming colonial furniture.
10. Raj Nivas This grand building is now the His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor’s residence.
11. Ashram Dining Room
12. Cercle de puducherry - A privileged members only club, a throw back from the French times.
13. Legislative Assembly
14 .Aayi Mandapam - A magnificent memorial built by French to an Indian Temple dancer who lived  

      300 years before the French arrived in puducherry.
15. UCO Bank
16. puducherry Art Gallery
17. Notre Dames des Anges The Church is built in the Greco-Roman style in 1855 A.D
18. Joan of Arc Statue
19. Church of Capuchians - Now an orphanage, the church is one of the very few buildings that   

      survived the British raid in 1761
20. Lycee Francaise
21. Le Grand Hotel d Europe - The 1891 A.D building housed of the oldest hostelries in puducherry.
22. Hotel Lagrenee de Meziere - This is now home to the sisters of Cluny Convent. See nimble  

      fingered girls make embroidered master pieces in the latest European styles.
23. Hotel de L’ Orient - This tastefully renovated heritage building is now one of puducherry’s best 

      heritage hotel.
24. Alliance Francaise - Learn a little French while in puducherry. View French movies or borrow  

      French books.
25. Ashram Theatre
26. Dupliex statue - A tribute to one of the most successful French governors in India.
27. Ecole Francaise d’ Extreme Orient - Visit the institute for information on courses on Indology,  

      History or Architecture.
28. Court

WALK ON TAMIL QUARTER

     The buildings in the Tamil streets are characterized by rows of tiled roofed buildings almost joined together by continuous wall to wall constructions. While the older buildings more or less retain their “Tamilness”, the later constructions have acquired certain gallic features behind the Tamil facades. A synthesis of these two styles has resulted in a town that has a unique ‘Franco Tamil’ architectural identity. Though unsympathetic modifications and extensions have ruined many wonderful samples of the native quarters, increasing awareness and work by certain non governmental agencies like the INTACH, have ensured restoration of some of the structures.

     Starting Point                 : Easwaran Koil (Temple)
     Walk ends at                 : VOC School
     Distance                        : Approx. 2 k.m
     Approximate time taken : 1 hr

PLACES COVERED

1. Easwaran Koil - Also called the Vedapureeswar Koil, this is just 50 meters from the Varadharaja   temple. These two temples act as a nucleus around which the town evolved.

2. Easwaran Koil Street Houses - The wall to wall construction of houses give the Tamil street a homogenous look. All houses have a thalvaram (a covered verrandah that extends almost to the street) and a thinnai (a semi private space with benches for pilgrims and visitors). The central courtyard is probably the most distinctive feature inside the Tamil house.

3. Bharathi Museum - This building became the residence of the Tamil poiet and nationalist, Bharathi who sought refuge here from the British. The building in the typical tamil style is now a museum containing Bharathi’s works.

4. Calve College

5. Susheelabai School

6. Calve Supraya Street Houses

7. Big Market - Typical market scene in any Tamil city.

8. Rangapillai Mansion - Residence of Anandha Rangapillai, the former Dubash to the French  Governor. Get permission to visit.

9.  VOC School .