Known as ‘Poduke’ to the classical geographers of Greece and Rome, the ancient port of Pondicherry flourished from the 2nd century BC. It has now been established that the place had a Roman settlement about 2,000 years ago. Excavations at Arikamedu, near Ariankuppam, on the outskirts of the present city prove that the Romans settled here and regular commerce was carried on between the port of Pondicherry and the Roman cities. The area later formed part of the kingdom of the Pallavas, the Cholas, the Vijayanagar rulers and the Nayaks.

The Great Transformation
Legend has it that the great sage Agastya came to Vedapuri, by which name the present Pondicherry was once known, only to worship Vedapuriswara, one of the oldest deities worshipped here. The deity, Lord Shiva, the presiding spirit of Vedapuri, was also known as “Agatiswara” the Lord of Agastya. Pondicherry was traditionally a seat of learning and Vedic culture. Such a tradition must have developed from the presence of a great sage in a remote past, surrounded by seekers and disciples living in his Ashram.

Unity In Diversity
Pondicherry is the corruption of “Puducherry”, which means a new hamlet. The fact that people speaking 55 different languages reside here and that Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, French and English are the five official languages certainly raises eyebrows. In spite of this linguistic plethora, there is no confusion but absolute harmony.

The Promenade
Pondicherry is oval-shaped with parallel streets cutting each other at right angles. The long canal street, that runs from north to south was constructed on purpose to separate the Black town lead to the Promenade, via the White Town. The Promenade, one of the finest in the whole country, is 1,500m long. It is an irresistible attraction for the young and the aged alike.

Ashrams Characteristics
To Sri Aurobindo, one time National leader, Pondicherry was something more than a political asylum. It was here he did his Integral Yoga and wrote his literary and philosophical works. With the advent of a French lady, Madam Mirra Richard, later known as the Mother, who had followed the same spiritual path on her own, Sri Aurobindo started his Ashram to train others in his comprehensive and world-accepting system of spirituality. The Samadhi that houses the bodies of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, in the main premises of the Ashram, is always decorated with a wide variety of flowers in charming patterns hundreds of devotees visit this holy place every day.

Auroville - Pondy’s Other Half
8-km north of Pondicherry is Auroville. The foundation was laid on 28th February 1968, when a boy and a girl representing each of 124 countries of the world poured a handful of their native soil into a concrete lotus, symbolic of their support of the project. The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity.