Aurobindo Ashram,the brainchild of the Bengali revolutionary and philosopher Aurobindo Ghosh and his ardent disciple Mirra Alfassa,popularly known as "The Mother", who took over from Aurobindo after his death in 1950. Founded in 1926, the Ashram is basedon his philosophy of a harmonious community and draws a constant stream of visitors travel across the globe to India. You could visit the Ashram Centre at Rue de la Marine, which has the samadhi (tomb) of the philosopher and his living quarters amidst apretty little garden of orchids and a variety of other flowers. The International Centre which occasionally screens a film, and the Library are just across the road. You can also visit the Ashram’s Hand Made Paper Factory outlet to pick up some excellent paper and diaries. Not all seems fine between the Ashram and the locals. Perhaps the malaise stems from the fact that the affluent Ashram is mainly run by people from outside Pondicherry with a majority of Bengalis and Oriyas, and the Ashram, as an institution, seems to do little in terms of charity. Also, the nicest places in Pondicherry belong to the Ashram, and outsiders including the locals are

Auroville is a small town 6 km north of Pondicherry. This town was a vision of The Mother from Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry as it's an international town. Auroville is an international city which was built and started in 1968 by the Mother of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram with the idea to create international city. The residents live in around 15 different communities within Auroville and speak 55 different languages. It is an exciting project for understanding the environmental needs for spiritual growth .Matrimandir, the meditation hall, is one of the more important places to visit here. You need to get a pass issued to visit the Matrimandir. There are a number of other things to see in Auroville. A good place to get started is the Information Center.

Botanical Gardens Pondicherry is well known for its various tourist hotspots, which attracts tourists all the year round to this destination. Apart from Auroville, Sri Aurobindo Ashram,various museums and beaches what is an important Tourist Places in Pondicherry is the Botanical Garden . The Botanical Garden in Pondicherry was opened to the public in 1826 , it is located at the southern entrance of city bus stand. The Botanical Gardens situated in the center of the city provides a cool retreat from the oppressing heat and humidity of Tourist Places in Pondicherry . Tourist Places in Pondicherry sprawls over a 22 acres area and here you can just relax and listen to the twittering of birds and explore the rich variety of flora here. The Botanical Gardens is 178 years old and here you will find each and every tree or plant labeled with scientific, common and Tamil names. This has been possible due to the efforts of Department of Tourism.

Pondicherry’s Churches play an instrumental role in helping Pondicherry retain its essential European flavor. The 17 th and the 18 th century, in Indian history, are characterized by French missionary zeal which saw the mushrooming of a number of churches. The Eglise de Sacre Couer de Jesus, located in the south boulevard is one of the most popular churches in Pondicherry. The Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception or Notre Dame de la Conception can be traced back to three centuries. The Church to Our Lady of Angels is notable for an oil painting that was presented by Napoleon III. Just outside Pondicherry lies a replica of the Basilica at Lourdes.

Pondicherry is a place of many faiths. If you look at the places of worship which dominate the- landscape you will realize why pilgrims flock to Pondy. In and around Pondicherry there are a whopping 350 temples -big and small. Neighbouring Karaikal has another ninety nine. Some were built by the Chola kings between the l0th and l2th centuries. A sizeable share is dedicated to the deities of the villages they are located in.

You can locate the architecturally fine sight of the Sri Gokilambal Thirukameswara Temple, 10 kms from Pondicherry. Thousands of devotees converge here for a ten-day annual festival (Brah1lWtsatlam) , held during May -June along with the appearance of the full moon. The massive 15 m tall temple chariot, basking in finery, is taken out on a procession by a devout crowd. It`s a remarkable sight. The Lt. Governor of Pondicherry ritually joins the heave. A secular practice, carried over from the French days, when the French Governeurs themselves used to draw the car out on the streets. Besides, the breath-taking Ousteri lake nearby, spread over 10 hectares, is home to rare varieties of birds.

Thirunallar is 5 kms west of  Karaikal. The sanctum sanctorum of Lord Dharbaraneswara Temple holds Siva as the main deity. However, its shrine dedicated to Saneeswaran (Saturn) which figures in the story of Nala-Damayanti; makes this the most famous Saturn temple in India. The blessings of Saturn are said to be overwhelming, while its wrath causes great misery. The temple hosts a mammoth festival (Shani peyarchi) , each time Saturn moves from one sign of the zodiac to another.

The Varadaraja Temple (12th century) is the most important Vishnu temple in town, located just west of Gandhi Road, off Tyagraja Street. Here, Narasimha sits behind Venkatachalapathy, the main deity.

This 18th century Siva Shrine in Pondicherry houses stone inscriptions and a swayambhulinga. Recently renovated, the gopuram (tower) is brilliantly colourful.

Legend says that Lord Siva disguised himself as an ascetic, seeking alms from a lady called Punithavathi living in Karaikal. Who later, as Karaikal Ammaiyar, was destined to find an esteemed place among his 63 saints. An image of this lady saint is housed in a small and beautiful temple erected right where she lived.

Located right behind the Raj Nivas in Pondicherry town, this Ganesha temple has an interesting aside. A neighboring Frenchman finding the place of worship a nuisance, made several futile attempts to do away with the deity. Still, it kept reappearing. Convinced, he turned an active believer. Therefore, it is also fondly referred to as Vellakkaran (White man) Pillai (Ganesha).

On the ground floor, the major attraction is the central space with 3 curious transport mechanisms-a coach, a palanquin (sedan chair) and a pousse-pousse which required two attendants, one to steer and one to push. The bronze gallery displays the images of gods and goddesses together with a wide collection of temple lamps; used across different dynasties down centuries. Pre-Christian relics which we see here, such as remnants of Greek and Roman amphora jars, pieces from the T sung periods in China and beads made from glass and precious stones were dug out from the Arikamedu site, just south of Pondicherry.

The former is in 20 Eswaran Koil Street where the famous Tamil poet-patriot lived after arriving in 1908 in search of refuge. The latter is in 95, Perumal Koil Street, the home of Kanakasubhuratnam who adopted the name meaning disciple of Bharati which was become the second place of literary pilgrimage.

Jawahar Toy Museum, Goubert Salai, has a small collection of costume dolls (dancers, professions) from different states; a 15 minutes diversion.

The library established in 1872, has a rich collection of 300,000 volumes, including rare editions in both French and English. The reference section on the first floor is open to the public. The library has a mobile section that takes 8,000 books to the nearby villages for the interests of the people.

Some of the beaches to be visited in this territory are the Serenity Beach, the Paradise Beach, Karaikal Beach, Mahe Beach and Yanam River Cruise. Let’s get to know about the specialties of these beaches in detail. The Serenity Beach is 1.5 kilometers long. It’s a beautiful site to watch as it is cool and clean. This beach is ideally suited for relaxation, swimming and sun-bath. The pleasant breeze from the Bay of Bengal makes us to have a stroll or jog or sit in the parapet by the sea. The beach has a history behind it as this witnessed the bloodiest of the battles between the French and the British. The sea front is graced by an impressive statue of the Mahatma (M.K.Gandhi) set amidst eight exquisitely carved pillars and wonderful war memorial commemorating the soldiers who lost their lives during the World War I. The Lighthouse and the 284 meters long New Pier are located further south. The next is the Paradise Beach. This is called Plage Paradiso. This is located at Chunnambar near the mouth of the backwater. This is located about 8 kilometers away form Pondicherry towards Cuddalore Main Road. It is a perfect place for leisurely holiday and beach sport. The visitors can sail to the backwaters to the sands and pitch up a cozy sea side tent. One can see playing dolphins if cruised into the sea.