This tiny city is an intriguing mix of east meets west culture

EXile: Pondicherry in southern India is one of the most delightful and calming places where you can go at this time. This tiny city is an intriguing mix of east meets west culture, both converging at the Ashram and Auroville communities. You can’t go anywhere here without seeing or hearing the ‘auro’ and ‘ashram’ words! It was once the headquarters of the French East India Company for some 200 odd years, and still retains the charm and influence of French culture. Today it is synonymous with the Aurobindo Ashram (Ranga Pillai Street), which was started by the Bengali revolutionary Sri Aurobindo and his French disciple known as the Mother. It’s a wonderful, peaceful place for meditation and reflection. At their bookshop, pick up The Complete Sonnets of Aurobindo and other such works to read away quietly in the evenings by the ocean.

EXplore: Auroville is the global village brought into reality by the Mother, and is located a short drive away, amid woods and well laid out gardens. It is the ultimate example of environmental legacy and design as it was built on land which was semi-arid with no trees or water. This is where the Mother dreamed up a place where people from all over the world could live together in peace and harmony. Visit the Matri Mandir, built in the shape of the globe; it’s architecturally very beautiful and has a meditation hall right at the top which is lit only by sunrays seeping through a little skylight. By Naiya Sivaraj - EX Rated Travel Guides