The
French , who arrived in the early part of the 18th century
and attempted to establish themselves in Pondicherry ,
formerly known as Vedapuri , Poduke and Puducherry .Initially
they were thwarted by the British , and constant battles
for possession marked the early years of their occupation.
It is now part of a Union Territory that includes three
other small formerly French colonies : Mahe (Kerala),
Karaikal (Tamil Nadu ) and Yanam (Andhra Pradesh ). It
is easier to travel the 115 kilometres from Madras to
Pondicherry by road , rather than take the train to Villupuram
, 38 kilometres west of the town , from where there is
a branch line and a bus service . Although the French
influence is gradually fading , Pondicherry retains a
few accents . Pondicherry's main sights are the Rai Nivas
, the Sacred Heart Church and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram
. The ashram retreat was founded in 1926 by Sri Auro bindo
after whose death the spiritual authority passed to one
of his disciples , a French woman known as ' The Mother
'. The ashram's many activities include the making of
perfumes soap , incense and hand - made paper. The Mother
was also instrumental in founding the ' City of Dawn '
, Auroville , ten kilometer from Pondicherry. It's original
charter aimed at creating a city of the future where people
from India and aboard could live and work together in
a spiritual environment . The futuristic buildings of
Auorville were designed by the French architect Roger
Auger . The vast Matri Mandir serves both as a meditation
hall and the spiritual center of Auroville.
