Puducherry Visit
Author: Dr. K. S. Kang
For
the annual family outing my family decided to visit Puducherry or
Pondicherry during the winter vacations. After the bookings and
reservations in the airlines and hotels, we hired a cab that took us
to the nearest airport, Dabok in Udaipur, situated about hundred
kilometres from our home town. Our flight was delayed by a couple of
hours, which is regular feature of domestic airlines these days that
delays the schedule of a person further. It was planned that my
younger son who was at Kocchi at that time would join us at Chennai.
But our flight was so late that by the time it reached Hyderabad our
connecting flight has already gone, though our flight was also going
to Chennai and we requested them to permit us to continue on the same
aircraft as our connecting flight was missed due to delay in the
flight which was company’s fault and the company of our missed
flight and that flight was the same but they did not budge so we had
to wait for a couple of hours more at Hyderabad airport we were put
on a flight to Chennai. As it was already evening so we decided to
take evening meals at the airport and ordered Biryani for which this
town was know for. So we reached Chennai nearly at midnight, four
hours behind schedule. The crowd even at the airports reminded that
our country has become the most populated country of the world.
However taking my younger son, who had even seen a movie to pass the
time, we proceeded to Puducherry by taxi and reached in the early
hours of morning at the hotel. At that time hotel staff had put on
Air Conditioner in the room and due to our hurry to sleep we forgot
to put it off and went into sound sleep instantly as a result of
which I woke up next morning with sore throat, and I took warm water
to get some relief in order to get ready to go around the town after
breakfast that was complimentary in the Hotel Petite Palais- though
there is a french museum by this name also in Paris. This hotel was
situated in that part of the town that was popularly known as white
Town where French people resided before Pondicherry became part of
Indian Union.
Before
setting on the tour of the town let me give brief introduction of
this place. Historically Pondicherry gained its significance as the
French Riviera of the East after the advent of French colonisation in
India. Riviera is a scenic, resort lined coast formerly known as the
French and Italian Riviera famous for tourism, glamour, and beautiful
Mediterranean beaches derived from Italian language implying
coastline. Puducherry is a Tamil term for new town and mainly derived
from the Tamil word Poduku the marketplace or port town that had come
up to serve the Roman traders and sailors who came with goods even in
1 century as mentioned in Periplus of Ehythraean Sea. This settlement
was the abode of learned scholars well versed in Vedas, hence it was
also known as Vedapuri. Its history can broadly be divided into two
periods- Pre Colonial Era and Colonial Era. The pre colonial era
starts with the reign of Pallavas, who ruled over it from 325 to 900
A.D followed by Chola Dynasty who was in power from 901 to 1279 A.D
and then Pandyas who reigned over it from 1279 to 1370 A.D. During
14th century this area was under the control of Naikship
of Gingee of the Vijaynagar Empire from 1375 to 1614 A.D. Then Sultan
of Bijapur conquered it and ruled it from 1614 to 1638 A.D. It was
during this period that European powers started coming. First of all
Danish merchants used it as a trading centre. The Colonial Era set in
with the Portugese, who discovered the sea route to India via Cape
of Good Hope and first Portugese explorer Vasco-da Gama landed in
Calicut in 1498 A.D. Portugese were first Europeans to conduct trade
in textiles in 1521 A.D, then Dutch and Danes also followed during
17th century.
The
prospering trade here lured the French and the predominant feature of
the town was laid down by the French pioneer Martin. In 1674, French
East India Company was formed as a trading centre at Pondicherry, and
this outpost eventually became the chief French settlement in India.
The French Governor Francois Martin made remarkable improvements tot
he city and its commercial ties, facing a stiff resistance from the
Dutch and the English. In 1693 it came under the Dutch control when
The Governor of Dutch Coromandel Laurence Pit the Younger, sailed
with the fleet of seventeen ships and 160 men from Nagapattanam and
shelled Pondicherry for two weeks after which Francois Matin
surrendered. But they regained it after the Treaty of Ryswick. The
French conquered Mahe in 1720, Yanam in 1731 and Karaikal in 1738.
The British captured the city in 1761 from the French after seven
years war, but it was restored back to French under the Treaty of
Paris in 1768 A.D. The British again took control over it in 1793 at
the siege of Pondicherry, when wars were waging in France during
French Revolution but it was returned to the French in 1814 when
Anglo- French Wars ended. Since then France controlled the
settlements of Pondicherry, Mahe, Yanam, Karakikal and Chandernagor,
even during the British rule in India and even after British left
India till 1954 and since then it had been a part of Indian Union as
Centrally Administered Territory or Union Territory.
On
the first day of our visit, after a hearty breakfast we set out to
see nearby beach, popularly known as Rock Beach, though at the other
end it is known as Promenade Beach. As this spot was not far away
from the hotel where we were staying so we went on foot to see it.
Besides the calm, serene beach there were a number of memorials and
historical building to be seen here. As Puducherry was a harbour and
this part of the town served as market for the sailors and traders
who anchored their ships here. Hence the Pudu in the local dialect
means market, so it served as master fulfilling the needs of sailors,
traders and local populace. The first building that we saw was an old
lighthouse that used to guide sea vessels in the yesteryears. A
plaque in front of this building tells that it was built in 1836 and
it was 29 metres high that guided Ships on the coromandel coast.
Earlier it guided ships with oil lamps during the French regime
before getting electrified with rotating beams of light in 1931 A.D.
After serving as a Custom Office since 1941, it was decommissioned
when a new lighthouse came up near Pondicherry Marina Beach.
Currently this building is the office of CGST Commissonerate. Just in
front of the Lighthouse there is statue of the Father of the Nation
Mahatma Gandhi, Situated on the beach front, it was made by famous
sculptor from Madras School of Art and Craft. It is another major
landmark of this place. It is surrounded by eight exquisitely carved
monolithic granite pillars that were brought from Gingee Fort. This
statue is 4 metres high and and is the third tallest statue of Gandhi
in India, which was inaugurated on January 26, 1965. The square in
front of it plays host to various cultural and musical activities
throughout the year. That day also shooting a dance sequence for a
film was in progress at that place. It is believed that there is a
tunnel below the statue leading to Gingee Fort. There were some
efforts to explore the tunnel, but after a few people died of
suffocation these efforts were abandoned and tunnel was closed for
ever.
Then
on this beach road there is The French Memorial or Monument aux
Combattants des Indes Francaises morts pour la Patrie. It is
dedicated to the martyrs of World War I, who were residents of French
Indian and who made supreme sacrifice for the country fighting for
France in World War I. It is situated on Goubert Avenue in
Puducherry, just opposite the Gandhi Statue. France had decided in
1915 to induct soldiers from Asian colonies in French army. There
were 801 recruits from Pondicherry and sent 500 combatants overseas
and there were 75 causalities in World War I. The monument was built
in 1937 and inaugurated in April 1938 by Governor Crocicchia. A
subsidy of 5000 rupees was entered into colonial budget for it and
was given to a Committee designated by the decree of 14 January, 1936
to erect this memorial as a tribute to the inhabitants of French
India, who died fighting for France in First World War. The memorial
depicts a soldier in mufti standing with bowed head and inverted gun
to mark respect for the martyrs. It is surrounded by four tall
pillars. A bronze plaque lists the name of the soldiers, who gave
away their lives in the Great War. Further names were added on the
plaques the name of those soldiers who fought for France in
Indo-China and Algeria and who sacrificed their lives for France.
This sombre monument, designed by Gaston Petit and an architect named
Delafon, is still a French property. It is illuminated and decorated
every year on Bastille Day that is 14th July as a mark of
respect for those soldiers who gave away their lives fighting for
France.
After
seeing this, as we were coming back to our hotel, we saw a billboard
of an art exhibition organised by one organisation affiliated with
Sri Aurobindo Ashram. This exhibition exhibited paintings of various
birds, and the textile designs along with embroidery, needle work,
knitting work on clothes and pencil sketches. Here we came to know
that Sri Aurobindo Ashram is a spiritual community located in
Pondicherry, which was founded by Sri Aurobindo after he settled here
in 1910. In 1926 he turned over control of the ashram to his
collaborator a french lady named Mirra Alfassa, popularly known as
Ma. It houses samadhi of Sri Aurobindo and Mira Alfassa. After coming
out of exhibition we were feeling hungry, so we marched towards Baker
Street, which is perhaps the largest and the oldest bakery of this
place. It is a French bakery created in 2008 here but it holds the
legacy of eight generations of bakers since 1788. It provides a lot
of French products chiefly Croissant, eclair, baguette and sandwich.
Here I tasted Strawberry Tart and macroons, about which I have read
in Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House but had never tasted it
before, After taking lunch we were so much tired that we went back to
our hotel to straighten our limbs a bit in the form of afternoon nap.
While coming back to our hotel we walked through some of the streets
of that part of the town known as White Town, which is a historic,
charming and pedestrian friendly sea-side neighbourhood, formerly the
French colony famous for its mustard yellow colonial villas,
bougainvillea lined streets and French inspired cafes. Our hotel was
also one such building. Located along the Pomenade beach it features
the boutique hotels, galleries and landmarks blending Indian and
French culture. One such heritage building of White Town was
Pathe-Cine- Familial with a picture of rooster on it and with words
announcing Indinanastram Theatre., which is an 80 years old structure
founded in 1915 to house French Cinema Theatre. Located on 7, Rue
Romain Rolland it is often referred to as a cultural venue by
serving as a theatre for performing arts and regular, family friendly
shows. It adds to the cultural scene of this place offering spaces
for performing arts.
White
town of Puducherry is divided into Rues or streets with roads
intersecting each other. Streets of White Town are named in French
like like Rue Dumas, Rue Sufferin,Rue Romain Rolland and the like.
Our hotel Petite Palais was situated in Rue Sufferin which was
perhaps named after the famous French Vice Admiral Pierre Andre de
Sufferin who was a 18th century French Naval officer who
helped France in securing French dominance in Indian Ocean till the
end of war with the British with the Treaty of Paris. It is a
historic street of the town known for its French colonial
architecture, bright yellow buildings,and specifically location of a
popular restaurant.
After
noon siesta and getting reenergised with a hot cup of tea in hotel we
set out to see an iconic church of the town. We took an auto and
reached this iconic building popularly known as Basilica of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus. Situated on 132, South Boulevard, Near Railway
Station M. G Road area, it is Roman catholic minor basilica. It is an
oriental specimen of Gothic-revival architecture containing rare
stained glass panels depicting the events from the life of Jesus
Christ and saints of Catholic Church. In the year 1895, the then
Archbishop Mgr. Gandy wished to build a new church in devotion of
Sacred Heart of Jesus. Father Telesphone Welter, the Parish priest of
Nellithope prepared the building plan and Parish priest Rev. Fr.
Fourcard commenced the construction of new Church in 1902 at the
Southern side of the town, The first mass was held here in the
Western Wing of the Church by Mgr. Gandy on 17th December
1907. The new Parish surrounding this church was set up in 27th
January 1907. This nearly 125 years old historical Church is 50
metres long, 48 metres wide and 18 metres high with Latin cross shape
in aerial view is in Gothic style with 24 main columns holding the
structure. The biblical verses from 2 chronicles is written above the
entrance door. Inside the Church there are glass pictures of 28
Saints who were related to the devotion of Sacred Heart of Jesus. The
Grotto for our Lady of Lourdes, Parish Hall, Adoration Chapel, and
the new parish community hall were some of the developments added in
1960. It was fully renovated by inside and out by by Parish Priest
Thomas and led by twenty other Parish priest. Statues of four
evangelists were erected beneath which there are four lamp posts
describing their lives and the inviting Jesus and his twelve apostles
on the front facade. As it was time of Christmas so it was heavily
decorated inside and out with chandeliers and rice electric bulbs,
colourful festoons, and flood lights.
By
the time we came out of church evening had set in and we came again
to Pomegrade beach by auto. It left us at the northern end of the
beach where we played with sea waves by wading into sea water bare
foot at the beach for some time. Here we also came across a garden
containing statues of two dolphins and the black granite statue of
French Governor Joseph Marquis Dupleix,who was contemporary and rival
of Lord Clive. He came to India under the reign of King Louis XV. His
father Francois Dupleix, a wealthy fermier general wished to make him
a merchant, so he sent him to India in 1715 so as to divert his
attention from studying science for which he had grown fascination.
He reached India in one of the vessel of French East India Company.
He made many successful voyages to America and India. In 1720 he was
made member of Superior Council for Bengal. In 1730 he was made
Superintendent of French Affairs in Chandernagore. His reputation
procured for him the appointment of Governor General of all French
establishments in India in 1742 A.D He saw opportunity to advance
French interests amidst the growing disputes between Indian rulers.
So he entered into treaties with Indian princes, and adopted the
style of oriental splendour in his dress and surroundings. He raised
an army of native troops, called Sepoys, who were trained as infantry
men in his service. He also came close to Hyder Ali of Mysore. He
came back to France in 1754 and passed away in 1763 A.D. As now we
were tired,so we took a quick dinner and went back to our hotel to
get a sound sleep.
However,
at midnight I found that my voice had vanished and I could barely
whisper and words were unable to come out of my mouth. I shook my
spouse who was snoring in a sound sleep as she also got dog tired
after the hectic schedule during the day. However, she woke up and
brought a glass of lukewarm water from the electric kettle placed on
the table in the room of the hotel. To my horror I found that my
throat was nearly choked perhaps due to some infection during the
journey. My voice returned as the lukewarm water went through the
throat. Next morning I woke up with a slight cold and fever, however
I took a tablet of Paracetamol to control the fever.
After
taking breakfast and wash and change we hired a cab that took us to
Auroville, which was a town about 14 kms from Pondicherry. Auroville
or City of Dawn is an experimental township in Villupuram district,
whose most part is in Tamil Nadu, and some parts are in Union
Territory of Puducherry. It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa,
better known as Mother or La Mere, it was designed by architect Roger
Anger. In 1964 when Mirra Alfassa was Executive President of Sri
Aurobindo Society in Pondicherry, a resolution was passed by the
society to set up a town dedicated to the vision of Sri Aurobindo.
She was spiritual collaborator, of Sri Aurobindo, who believed that
man is a transistional being. She hoped that this experimental
universal township would contribute significantly to the progress of
humanity towards its splendid future by bringing together the people
of good will and aspirations for a better world. The site chosen for
this township was 20 sq. Kms approximately of desertified plateau,
some 10 kms north of Puducherry and 5 kms from sea coast. Its
inaugural ceremony was attended by the delegates of 124 nations on
February 28, 1968 . Handwritten in French by Mirra Alfassa the four
point charter set forth her vision of “integral living”.
“
Auroville belongs to nobody in particular, Auroville belongs to
humanity as a whole. But to live in Auroville, one must be the
willing Servitor of Divine Consciousness. Auroville will be the place
of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that
never ages, Auroville wants to be a bridge between the past and the
future. Taking advantage of all discoveries from without and within ,
Auroville will boldly spring toward future realisations. Auroville
will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living
embodiment of an actual humanity.”
Our
Cab left us at the parking and from there after walking a few steps
we came across a pavilion that gave prelude of the main attraction of
Auroville, The Matrmandir. Here a model of the disc was exhibited
which was of brass along with the wooden model of its surroundings.
From there was free facility of bus ride for senior citizens, which
left us after coving the distance of nearly 3 kms and left us at a
point that was nearly 500 metres from ‘The Matrmandir’. My wife
and me used this facility while the younger lot, including my two
sons, covered this distance on foot. During this brief journey there
was lush greenery everywhere with red sand laden paths amidst the
groves of trees.
In
the middle of this town stood proud Matrmandir, which Mirra Alfassa
contemplated as a symbol of the Divine’s answer to man’s
aspiration for perfection. Silence is maintained here in order to
ensure the tranquillity of this place and the entire area surrounding
the place has rightly been termed as ‘Peace Area’. Inside
Matrmandir, a spiralling ramp leads upwards to an air conditioned
chamber of polished white marble,which is referred to as a ‘ place
to find one’s consciousness’- it is surrounded by manicured
gardens equipped with a solar plant. When there is no sunlight, the
sun ray on the globe is replaced by a beam from a solar powered
light. Radiating from this centre are four zones of the city-
Residential Zone, Industrial Zone, Cultural and Educational Zone, and
International Zone. Around the city lies a Green Belt- an
environmental research and resource area that includes farms,
forestries, medicinal and herbal plants, water catchments bunds and
some communities. The point to which the tourists were permitted was
nearly 500 metres away from the spot where proudly stood a golden
shining globe that is known to the world as ‘The Matrmandir. After
viewing this captivating sight for some time, we came back by the
bus service to the same point where we had started where there was
pavilion giving introduction to ‘The Matrmandir’. From parking we
boarded our cab that took us to a restaurant where we had lunch. At
this restaurant the head waitress was a French lady, and she took and
delivered the orders with great perfection and efficiency. After
taking sumptuous and delicious lunch we came back to Puducherry and
asked cab driver to drop us at Pondicherry museum which was open till
5 p.m so we could utilise our remaining time of the day.
The
Pondicherry Museum or Muse’e de Pondicherry is an art and history
museum noted for its collection of fine lost wax bronzes from the
period of Chola Empire. Its collection includes 81 Chola bronze
sculptures, ranking as one of the largest collections of bronze
pieces belonging to Chola period. Artefacts from the archaeological
dig at Arikameda, A Yavana ( Greek) part that existed just north of
modern Pondicherry in the late 1st century B.C to 1st
and 2nd century A.D. The exhibits of old printing press,
office furniture of French Governor General, and various palanquins
and other modes of transport in those day in the museum were worth
watching and quite interesting
At
night as the effect of the tablet waned, fever returned so before I
going to bed I took another paracetamol tablet to check it. Next day
after breakfast we hired an autorickshaw that took us to Paradise
Beach, which was managed by the Tourism Department of Puducherry.
After leaving auto we took a motorboat along with other passengers
which after wading through the backwaters brought us to the golden
beach known to this world as Paradise Beach. It is a beautiful beach
on the outskirts of the town of Puducherry which is separated from
the mainland via backwaters of the sea. A ferry that brought us from
Chunnambar Boat House and Resort left us on the other side of the
backwaters. After walking a few steps towards the sea the beach
alighted before us. It is also managed by Tourism Department. We also
came across a restaurant under the thatched hut that served snacks
and some beverages. There are a number of shacks with thatched roofs
that provide shelter in otherwise sun lit beach. Even live molluscs
were moving around along the shore and there were also dry shells in
the golden sun lit sand of this beach. Under one such shack, my
family put the luggage that we were carrying and went to make frolics
by wading into the water of the sea and by playing with the waves of
the sea. As I was not feeling well, so I volunteered to stay back
and i straightened my back on the lying bark of the tree and even had
a refreshing nap for some time while my wife and two sons frolicked
with the sea waves. After some time my elder son came to the shade of
the shack and as I was feeling fresh and energised after the nap, so
I also waded in the sea water knee deep in order to face and enjoy
experience the sea waves at close quarters for some time. After
staying there for couple of hours we returned back to the spot from
where motorboat again took us to the point from where we had left the
auto. On the return journey I observed coconut and banana plantations
on the edges of the number of islands lying in that area. We again
took auto that brought us back to the town and we spent some time in
cruising through different streets of the town like Rue Romain
Rolland, Rue Suffrin, Rue Alfonso and the like and spent evening at
the pleasant rock beach in company of cool soothing breeze.
After
dinner as the effect of medicine declined the fever along with body
ache and cough so I took another tablet to pass the night peacefully.
But in morning I found that now only one tablet was left and I had to
endure my sickness till I get medical relief in my home town. As it
was our last day at this place, so we spent most of the morning in
the hotel room doing our packing and making preparation for the
return journey. After lunch and evening tea we went to visit Our
Lady of Immaculate Conception Cathedral, which was also known as
Samba Kavil. It is a historic 300 years old Roman Catholic Church
located on Mission Street. Rebuilt in 1791, this prominent French
colonial style cathedral serves as the mother church for Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore. Its origin dates
back to 1692, with the current structure being the fourth version
after earlier ones were destroyed during battles with various foes
like the Dutch, the British and Nizam. It is known for its striking
white and yellow facades featuring tall pillars and a grand entrance.
It is one of the oldest and and most prominent church of the area
reflecting French Cultural Heritage. The French Capuchins arrived
here in 1632 but their stay was short. Then in 1689 the French Jesuit
priests expelled from Thailand due to a rebellion came here in 1687.
they bought a vast garden where there is current residence of
Archbishop. At this spot the first church was built by the French
Jesuits in 1691-92 A.D. It was demolished by Dutch invaders in 1693.
In 1699 the Jesuits built the church second time but it was not very
strong one, so they built it third time between the years 1728 to
1736. In 1761 it was destroyed by the British assault when they
captured this place. In 1765 Jesuits returned to Pondicherry and
erected a temporary structure to act as a church at the spot where
the current mission press stands. Gradually the construction of the
present church commenced which was modelled on Val-de-Grace of Paris.
It was consecrated by Msgr. Chanpencis Nicholes on June 20, 1791.
After
seeing the cathedral we visited a book exhibition near by and
purchased a few books. After it we returned back to our hotel and
took to our beds earlier as next morning we had to start early for
Chennai airport. I took some medicine to keep situation under control
during night and took the last remaining tablet in the morning so as
to recede the advance of malady during the journey. Cab left us at
the airport and on the way we had a tea break and a passing view of
the famous Marina Beach of Chennai. Thank God and thank our stars
that our flight from Chennai to Mumbai and from Mumbai to Udaipur
were not delayed. However, at Mumbai airport we had to changed the
terminal and we made use of bus facility plying between two
terminals. We reached Udaipur airport at about 8 o’clock in the
evening from where we hired a cab to bring us to my home town which
was nearly 100 kms from my native place. On the way taxi driver,
taking us to be some tourists stopped the cab abruptly at a
restaurant to have a snack break. But the effect of the last tablet
was fading and I was feeling the cold and fever returning. So I had
to speak loudly to alert the driver not to waste the time as there
was an ailing passenger in the cab. So after taking tea he brought us
to my home town without any trouble. As I came out of car I was
shivering and I ran to reach my bedroom and took a couple of
blankets and a tablet to overcome the malady till next morning when I
would get proper medical aid. 
in a week.
Puducherry Visit
Author: Dr. K. S. Kang
For
the annual family outing my family decided to visit Puducherry or
Pondicherry during the winter vacations. After the bookings and
reservations in the airlines and hotels, we hired a cab that took us
to the nearest airport, Dabok in Udaipur, situated about hundred
kilometres from our home town. Our flight was delayed by a couple of
hours, which is regular feature of domestic airlines these days that
delays the schedule of a person further. It was planned that my
younger son who was at Kocchi at that time would join us at Chennai.
But our flight was so late that by the time it reached Hyderabad our
connecting flight has already gone, though our flight was also going
to Chennai and we requested them to permit us to continue on the same
aircraft as our connecting flight was missed due to delay in the
flight which was company’s fault and the company of our missed
flight and that flight was the same but they did not budge so we had
to wait for a couple of hours more at Hyderabad airport we were put
on a flight to Chennai. As it was already evening so we decided to
take evening meals at the airport and ordered Biryani for which this
town was know for. So we reached Chennai nearly at midnight, four
hours behind schedule. The crowd even at the airports reminded that
our country has become the most populated country of the world.
However taking my younger son, who had even seen a movie to pass the
time, we proceeded to Puducherry by taxi and reached in the early
hours of morning at the hotel. At that time hotel staff had put on
Air Conditioner in the room and due to our hurry to sleep we forgot
to put it off and went into sound sleep instantly as a result of
which I woke up next morning with sore throat, and I took warm water
to get some relief in order to get ready to go around the town after
breakfast that was complimentary in the Hotel Petite Palais- though
there is a french museum by this name also in Paris. This hotel was
situated in that part of the town that was popularly known as white
Town where French people resided before Pondicherry became part of
Indian Union.
Before
setting on the tour of the town let me give brief introduction of
this place. Historically Pondicherry gained its significance as the
French Riviera of the East after the advent of French colonisation in
India. Riviera is a scenic, resort lined coast formerly known as the
French and Italian Riviera famous for tourism, glamour, and beautiful
Mediterranean beaches derived from Italian language implying
coastline. Puducherry is a Tamil term for new town and mainly derived
from the Tamil word Poduku the marketplace or port town that had come
up to serve the Roman traders and sailors who came with goods even in
1 century as mentioned in Periplus of Ehythraean Sea. This settlement
was the abode of learned scholars well versed in Vedas, hence it was
also known as Vedapuri. Its history can broadly be divided into two
periods- Pre Colonial Era and Colonial Era. The pre colonial era
starts with the reign of Pallavas, who ruled over it from 325 to 900
A.D followed by Chola Dynasty who was in power from 901 to 1279 A.D
and then Pandyas who reigned over it from 1279 to 1370 A.D. During
14th century this area was under the control of Naikship
of Gingee of the Vijaynagar Empire from 1375 to 1614 A.D. Then Sultan
of Bijapur conquered it and ruled it from 1614 to 1638 A.D. It was
during this period that European powers started coming. First of all
Danish merchants used it as a trading centre. The Colonial Era set in
with the Portugese, who discovered the sea route to India via Cape
of Good Hope and first Portugese explorer Vasco-da Gama landed in
Calicut in 1498 A.D. Portugese were first Europeans to conduct trade
in textiles in 1521 A.D, then Dutch and Danes also followed during
17th century.
The
prospering trade here lured the French and the predominant feature of
the town was laid down by the French pioneer Martin. In 1674, French
East India Company was formed as a trading centre at Pondicherry, and
this outpost eventually became the chief French settlement in India.
The French Governor Francois Martin made remarkable improvements tot
he city and its commercial ties, facing a stiff resistance from the
Dutch and the English. In 1693 it came under the Dutch control when
The Governor of Dutch Coromandel Laurence Pit the Younger, sailed
with the fleet of seventeen ships and 160 men from Nagapattanam and
shelled Pondicherry for two weeks after which Francois Matin
surrendered. But they regained it after the Treaty of Ryswick. The
French conquered Mahe in 1720, Yanam in 1731 and Karaikal in 1738.
The British captured the city in 1761 from the French after seven
years war, but it was restored back to French under the Treaty of
Paris in 1768 A.D. The British again took control over it in 1793 at
the siege of Pondicherry, when wars were waging in France during
French Revolution but it was returned to the French in 1814 when
Anglo- French Wars ended. Since then France controlled the
settlements of Pondicherry, Mahe, Yanam, Karakikal and Chandernagor,
even during the British rule in India and even after British left
India till 1954 and since then it had been a part of Indian Union as
Centrally Administered Territory or Union Territory.
On
the first day of our visit, after a hearty breakfast we set out to
see nearby beach, popularly known as Rock Beach, though at the other
end it is known as Promenade Beach. As this spot was not far away
from the hotel where we were staying so we went on foot to see it.
Besides the calm, serene beach there were a number of memorials and
historical building to be seen here. As Puducherry was a harbour and
this part of the town served as market for the sailors and traders
who anchored their ships here. Hence the Pudu in the local dialect
means market, so it served as master fulfilling the needs of sailors,
traders and local populace. The first building that we saw was an old
lighthouse that used to guide sea vessels in the yesteryears. A
plaque in front of this building tells that it was built in 1836 and
it was 29 metres high that guided Ships on the coromandel coast.
Earlier it guided ships with oil lamps during the French regime
before getting electrified with rotating beams of light in 1931 A.D.
After serving as a Custom Office since 1941, it was decommissioned
when a new lighthouse came up near Pondicherry Marina Beach.
Currently this building is the office of CGST Commissonerate. Just in
front of the Lighthouse there is statue of the Father of the Nation
Mahatma Gandhi, Situated on the beach front, it was made by famous
sculptor from Madras School of Art and Craft. It is another major
landmark of this place. It is surrounded by eight exquisitely carved
monolithic granite pillars that were brought from Gingee Fort. This
statue is 4 metres high and and is the third tallest statue of Gandhi
in India, which was inaugurated on January 26, 1965. The square in
front of it plays host to various cultural and musical activities
throughout the year. That day also shooting a dance sequence for a
film was in progress at that place. It is believed that there is a
tunnel below the statue leading to Gingee Fort. There were some
efforts to explore the tunnel, but after a few people died of
suffocation these efforts were abandoned and tunnel was closed for
ever.
Then
on this beach road there is The French Memorial or Monument aux
Combattants des Indes Francaises morts pour la Patrie. It is
dedicated to the martyrs of World War I, who were residents of French
Indian and who made supreme sacrifice for the country fighting for
France in World War I. It is situated on Goubert Avenue in
Puducherry, just opposite the Gandhi Statue. France had decided in
1915 to induct soldiers from Asian colonies in French army. There
were 801 recruits from Pondicherry and sent 500 combatants overseas
and there were 75 causalities in World War I. The monument was built
in 1937 and inaugurated in April 1938 by Governor Crocicchia. A
subsidy of 5000 rupees was entered into colonial budget for it and
was given to a Committee designated by the decree of 14 January, 1936
to erect this memorial as a tribute to the inhabitants of French
India, who died fighting for France in First World War. The memorial
depicts a soldier in mufti standing with bowed head and inverted gun
to mark respect for the martyrs. It is surrounded by four tall
pillars. A bronze plaque lists the name of the soldiers, who gave
away their lives in the Great War. Further names were added on the
plaques the name of those soldiers who fought for France in
Indo-China and Algeria and who sacrificed their lives for France.
This sombre monument, designed by Gaston Petit and an architect named
Delafon, is still a French property. It is illuminated and decorated
every year on Bastille Day that is 14th July as a mark of
respect for those soldiers who gave away their lives fighting for
France.
After
seeing this, as we were coming back to our hotel, we saw a billboard
of an art exhibition organised by one organisation affiliated with
Sri Aurobindo Ashram. This exhibition exhibited paintings of various
birds, and the textile designs along with embroidery, needle work,
knitting work on clothes and pencil sketches. Here we came to know
that Sri Aurobindo Ashram is a spiritual community located in
Pondicherry, which was founded by Sri Aurobindo after he settled here
in 1910. In 1926 he turned over control of the ashram to his
collaborator a french lady named Mirra Alfassa, popularly known as
Ma. It houses samadhi of Sri Aurobindo and Mira Alfassa. After coming
out of exhibition we were feeling hungry, so we marched towards Baker
Street, which is perhaps the largest and the oldest bakery of this
place. It is a French bakery created in 2008 here but it holds the
legacy of eight generations of bakers since 1788. It provides a lot
of French products chiefly Croissant, eclair, baguette and sandwich.
Here I tasted Strawberry Tart and macroons, about which I have read
in Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House but had never tasted it
before, After taking lunch we were so much tired that we went back to
our hotel to straighten our limbs a bit in the form of afternoon nap.
While coming back to our hotel we walked through some of the streets
of that part of the town known as White Town, which is a historic,
charming and pedestrian friendly sea-side neighbourhood, formerly the
French colony famous for its mustard yellow colonial villas,
bougainvillea lined streets and French inspired cafes. Our hotel was
also one such building. Located along the Pomenade beach it features
the boutique hotels, galleries and landmarks blending Indian and
French culture. One such heritage building of White Town was
Pathe-Cine- Familial with a picture of rooster on it and with words
announcing Indinanastram Theatre., which is an 80 years old structure
founded in 1915 to house French Cinema Theatre. Located on 7, Rue
Romain Rolland it is often referred to as a cultural venue by
serving as a theatre for performing arts and regular, family friendly
shows. It adds to the cultural scene of this place offering spaces
for performing arts.
White
town of Puducherry is divided into Rues or streets with roads
intersecting each other. Streets of White Town are named in French
like like Rue Dumas, Rue Sufferin,Rue Romain Rolland and the like.
Our hotel Petite Palais was situated in Rue Sufferin which was
perhaps named after the famous French Vice Admiral Pierre Andre de
Sufferin who was a 18th century French Naval officer who
helped France in securing French dominance in Indian Ocean till the
end of war with the British with the Treaty of Paris. It is a
historic street of the town known for its French colonial
architecture, bright yellow buildings,and specifically location of a
popular restaurant.
After
noon siesta and getting reenergised with a hot cup of tea in hotel we
set out to see an iconic church of the town. We took an auto and
reached this iconic building popularly known as Basilica of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus. Situated on 132, South Boulevard, Near Railway
Station M. G Road area, it is Roman catholic minor basilica. It is an
oriental specimen of Gothic-revival architecture containing rare
stained glass panels depicting the events from the life of Jesus
Christ and saints of Catholic Church. In the year 1895, the then
Archbishop Mgr. Gandy wished to build a new church in devotion of
Sacred Heart of Jesus. Father Telesphone Welter, the Parish priest of
Nellithope prepared the building plan and Parish priest Rev. Fr.
Fourcard commenced the construction of new Church in 1902 at the
Southern side of the town, The first mass was held here in the
Western Wing of the Church by Mgr. Gandy on 17th December
1907. The new Parish surrounding this church was set up in 27th
January 1907. This nearly 125 years old historical Church is 50
metres long, 48 metres wide and 18 metres high with Latin cross shape
in aerial view is in Gothic style with 24 main columns holding the
structure. The biblical verses from 2 chronicles is written above the
entrance door. Inside the Church there are glass pictures of 28
Saints who were related to the devotion of Sacred Heart of Jesus. The
Grotto for our Lady of Lourdes, Parish Hall, Adoration Chapel, and
the new parish community hall were some of the developments added in
1960. It was fully renovated by inside and out by by Parish Priest
Thomas and led by twenty other Parish priest. Statues of four
evangelists were erected beneath which there are four lamp posts
describing their lives and the inviting Jesus and his twelve apostles
on the front facade. As it was time of Christmas so it was heavily
decorated inside and out with chandeliers and rice electric bulbs,
colourful festoons, and flood lights.
By
the time we came out of church evening had set in and we came again
to Pomegrade beach by auto. It left us at the northern end of the
beach where we played with sea waves by wading into sea water bare
foot at the beach for some time. Here we also came across a garden
containing statues of two dolphins and the black granite statue of
French Governor Joseph Marquis Dupleix,who was contemporary and rival
of Lord Clive. He came to India under the reign of King Louis XV. His
father Francois Dupleix, a wealthy fermier general wished to make him
a merchant, so he sent him to India in 1715 so as to divert his
attention from studying science for which he had grown fascination.
He reached India in one of the vessel of French East India Company.
He made many successful voyages to America and India. In 1720 he was
made member of Superior Council for Bengal. In 1730 he was made
Superintendent of French Affairs in Chandernagore. His reputation
procured for him the appointment of Governor General of all French
establishments in India in 1742 A.D He saw opportunity to advance
French interests amidst the growing disputes between Indian rulers.
So he entered into treaties with Indian princes, and adopted the
style of oriental splendour in his dress and surroundings. He raised
an army of native troops, called Sepoys, who were trained as infantry
men in his service. He also came close to Hyder Ali of Mysore. He
came back to France in 1754 and passed away in 1763 A.D. As now we
were tired,so we took a quick dinner and went back to our hotel to
get a sound sleep.
However,
at midnight I found that my voice had vanished and I could barely
whisper and words were unable to come out of my mouth. I shook my
spouse who was snoring in a sound sleep as she also got dog tired
after the hectic schedule during the day. However, she woke up and
brought a glass of lukewarm water from the electric kettle placed on
the table in the room of the hotel. To my horror I found that my
throat was nearly choked perhaps due to some infection during the
journey. My voice returned as the lukewarm water went through the
throat. Next morning I woke up with a slight cold and fever, however
I took a tablet of Paracetamol to control the fever.
After
taking breakfast and wash and change we hired a cab that took us to
Auroville, which was a town about 14 kms from Pondicherry. Auroville
or City of Dawn is an experimental township in Villupuram district,
whose most part is in Tamil Nadu, and some parts are in Union
Territory of Puducherry. It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa,
better known as Mother or La Mere, it was designed by architect Roger
Anger. In 1964 when Mirra Alfassa was Executive President of Sri
Aurobindo Society in Pondicherry, a resolution was passed by the
society to set up a town dedicated to the vision of Sri Aurobindo.
She was spiritual collaborator, of Sri Aurobindo, who believed that
man is a transistional being. She hoped that this experimental
universal township would contribute significantly to the progress of
humanity towards its splendid future by bringing together the people
of good will and aspirations for a better world. The site chosen for
this township was 20 sq. Kms approximately of desertified plateau,
some 10 kms north of Puducherry and 5 kms from sea coast. Its
inaugural ceremony was attended by the delegates of 124 nations on
February 28, 1968 . Handwritten in French by Mirra Alfassa the four
point charter set forth her vision of “integral living”.
“
Auroville belongs to nobody in particular, Auroville belongs to
humanity as a whole. But to live in Auroville, one must be the
willing Servitor of Divine Consciousness. Auroville will be the place
of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that
never ages, Auroville wants to be a bridge between the past and the
future. Taking advantage of all discoveries from without and within ,
Auroville will boldly spring toward future realisations. Auroville
will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living
embodiment of an actual humanity.”
Our
Cab left us at the parking and from there after walking a few steps
we came across a pavilion that gave prelude of the main attraction of
Auroville, The Matrmandir. Here a model of the disc was exhibited
which was of brass along with the wooden model of its surroundings.
From there was free facility of bus ride for senior citizens, which
left us after coving the distance of nearly 3 kms and left us at a
point that was nearly 500 metres from ‘The Matrmandir’. My wife
and me used this facility while the younger lot, including my two
sons, covered this distance on foot. During this brief journey there
was lush greenery everywhere with red sand laden paths amidst the
groves of trees.
In
the middle of this town stood proud Matrmandir, which Mirra Alfassa
contemplated as a symbol of the Divine’s answer to man’s
aspiration for perfection. Silence is maintained here in order to
ensure the tranquillity of this place and the entire area surrounding
the place has rightly been termed as ‘Peace Area’. Inside
Matrmandir, a spiralling ramp leads upwards to an air conditioned
chamber of polished white marble,which is referred to as a ‘ place
to find one’s consciousness’- it is surrounded by manicured
gardens equipped with a solar plant. When there is no sunlight, the
sun ray on the globe is replaced by a beam from a solar powered
light. Radiating from this centre are four zones of the city-
Residential Zone, Industrial Zone, Cultural and Educational Zone, and
International Zone. Around the city lies a Green Belt- an
environmental research and resource area that includes farms,
forestries, medicinal and herbal plants, water catchments bunds and
some communities. The point to which the tourists were permitted was
nearly 500 metres away from the spot where proudly stood a golden
shining globe that is known to the world as ‘The Matrmandir. After
viewing this captivating sight for some time, we came back by the
bus service to the same point where we had started where there was
pavilion giving introduction to ‘The Matrmandir’. From parking we
boarded our cab that took us to a restaurant where we had lunch. At
this restaurant the head waitress was a French lady, and she took and
delivered the orders with great perfection and efficiency. After
taking sumptuous and delicious lunch we came back to Puducherry and
asked cab driver to drop us at Pondicherry museum which was open till
5 p.m so we could utilise our remaining time of the day.
The
Pondicherry Museum or Muse’e de Pondicherry is an art and history
museum noted for its collection of fine lost wax bronzes from the
period of Chola Empire. Its collection includes 81 Chola bronze
sculptures, ranking as one of the largest collections of bronze
pieces belonging to Chola period. Artefacts from the archaeological
dig at Arikameda, A Yavana ( Greek) part that existed just north of
modern Pondicherry in the late 1st century B.C to 1st
and 2nd century A.D. The exhibits of old printing press,
office furniture of French Governor General, and various palanquins
and other modes of transport in those day in the museum were worth
watching and quite interesting
At
night as the effect of the tablet waned, fever returned so before I
going to bed I took another paracetamol tablet to check it. Next day
after breakfast we hired an autorickshaw that took us to Paradise
Beach, which was managed by the Tourism Department of Puducherry.
After leaving auto we took a motorboat along with other passengers
which after wading through the backwaters brought us to the golden
beach known to this world as Paradise Beach. It is a beautiful beach
on the outskirts of the town of Puducherry which is separated from
the mainland via backwaters of the sea. A ferry that brought us from
Chunnambar Boat House and Resort left us on the other side of the
backwaters. After walking a few steps towards the sea the beach
alighted before us. It is also managed by Tourism Department. We also
came across a restaurant under the thatched hut that served snacks
and some beverages. There are a number of shacks with thatched roofs
that provide shelter in otherwise sun lit beach. Even live molluscs
were moving around along the shore and there were also dry shells in
the golden sun lit sand of this beach. Under one such shack, my
family put the luggage that we were carrying and went to make frolics
by wading into the water of the sea and by playing with the waves of
the sea. As I was not feeling well, so I volunteered to stay back
and i straightened my back on the lying bark of the tree and even had
a refreshing nap for some time while my wife and two sons frolicked
with the sea waves. After some time my elder son came to the shade of
the shack and as I was feeling fresh and energised after the nap, so
I also waded in the sea water knee deep in order to face and enjoy
experience the sea waves at close quarters for some time. After
staying there for couple of hours we returned back to the spot from
where motorboat again took us to the point from where we had left the
auto. On the return journey I observed coconut and banana plantations
on the edges of the number of islands lying in that area. We again
took auto that brought us back to the town and we spent some time in
cruising through different streets of the town like Rue Romain
Rolland, Rue Suffrin, Rue Alfonso and the like and spent evening at
the pleasant rock beach in company of cool soothing breeze.
After
dinner as the effect of medicine declined the fever along with body
ache and cough so I took another tablet to pass the night peacefully.
But in morning I found that now only one tablet was left and I had to
endure my sickness till I get medical relief in my home town. As it
was our last day at this place, so we spent most of the morning in
the hotel room doing our packing and making preparation for the
return journey. After lunch and evening tea we went to visit Our
Lady of Immaculate Conception Cathedral, which was also known as
Samba Kavil. It is a historic 300 years old Roman Catholic Church
located on Mission Street. Rebuilt in 1791, this prominent French
colonial style cathedral serves as the mother church for Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore. Its origin dates
back to 1692, with the current structure being the fourth version
after earlier ones were destroyed during battles with various foes
like the Dutch, the British and Nizam. It is known for its striking
white and yellow facades featuring tall pillars and a grand entrance.
It is one of the oldest and and most prominent church of the area
reflecting French Cultural Heritage. The French Capuchins arrived
here in 1632 but their stay was short. Then in 1689 the French Jesuit
priests expelled from Thailand due to a rebellion came here in 1687.
they bought a vast garden where there is current residence of
Archbishop. At this spot the first church was built by the French
Jesuits in 1691-92 A.D. It was demolished by Dutch invaders in 1693.
In 1699 the Jesuits built the church second time but it was not very
strong one, so they built it third time between the years 1728 to
1736. In 1761 it was destroyed by the British assault when they
captured this place. In 1765 Jesuits returned to Pondicherry and
erected a temporary structure to act as a church at the spot where
the current mission press stands. Gradually the construction of the
present church commenced which was modelled on Val-de-Grace of Paris.
It was consecrated by Msgr. Chanpencis Nicholes on June 20, 1791.
After
seeing the cathedral we visited a book exhibition near by and
purchased a few books. After it we returned back to our hotel and
took to our beds earlier as next morning we had to start early for
Chennai airport. I took some medicine to keep situation under control
during night and took the last remaining tablet in the morning so as
to recede the advance of malady during the journey. Cab left us at
the airport and on the way we had a tea break and a passing view of
the famous Marina Beach of Chennai. Thank God and thank our stars
that our flight from Chennai to Mumbai and from Mumbai to Udaipur
were not delayed. However, at Mumbai airport we had to changed the
terminal and we made use of bus facility plying between two
terminals. We reached Udaipur airport at about 8 o’clock in the
evening from where we hired a cab to bring us to my home town which
was nearly 100 kms from my native place. On the way taxi driver,
taking us to be some tourists stopped the cab abruptly at a
restaurant to have a snack break. But the effect of the last tablet
was fading and I was feeling the cold and fever returning. So I had
to speak loudly to alert the driver not to waste the time as there
was an ailing passenger in the cab. So after taking tea he brought us
to my home town without any trouble. As I came out of car I was
shivering and I ran to reach my bedroom and took a couple of
blankets and a tablet to overcome the malady till next morning when I
would get proper medical aid. I could only recover completely and
become normal
in a week.
in a week.
