Pondicherry is a quaint little city that retains its French character even 60 years after it merged with the Indian Union. The picturesque and pleasurable drive from Chennai to Pondicherry is 160 km and takes about three hours on the East Coast Road, which is a toll highway. Pondicherry is now known as Puducherry.
The French connection is still visible in the statues of Dupleix and Joan of Arc, the architecture, and the signboards. The oval shaped city with its neatly aligned streets has been constructed on the lines of French-influenced Mediterranean town planning. Everything about the city has a leisurely pace including the traffic., the only exception being the sea that roars aloud as you drive past. The most popular mode of transport in Puducherry is bicycles.
The city of Puducherry has a legacy of 19th century churches like the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Eglise de Notre Dame de la Conception, the Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges, the Eglise de Notre Dame de Lourdes and the Chapel of the Sisters of Cluny. The city has an eclectic mix of French and Indian culture. There are more than 350 temples in and around Puducherry. The Varadarajar Temple and Thirukameswarar Temple date back to the 12th century.
The journey from Chennai is dotted with amusement centers like VGP Golden Beach, MGM Park, Crocodile Park, etc. On the way is also the majestic shore temple complex of Mamallapuram, also called Mahabalipuram.
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