1) Sri Aurobindo Ashram
The ashram grew out of a small community of disciples who had gathered around Sri Aurobindo after he retired from politics and settled in Pondicherry in 1910. On 24 November 1926, after a major spiritual realization, Sri Aurobindo withdrew from public view in order to continue his spiritual work. At this time he handed over the full responsibility for the inner and outer lives of the sadhaks (spiritual aspirants) and the ashram to his spiritual collaborator, "the Mother", earlier known as Mirra Alfassa. This date is therefore generally known as the founding-day of the ashram, though, as Sri Aurobindo himself wrote, it had “less been created than grown around him as its centre.”
2) Auroville
It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (known as "the Mother") and designed by architect Roger Anger. As stated in Alfassa's first public message in 1965
"Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity".
— Mirra Alfassa
3) The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
It is the cathedral mother church for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore. It is also known as "Samba Kovil", which is a phonetic corruption of "Saint Paul’s Kovil" where "Kovil" means church. It is one of the oldest tourist sites in Puducherry and was visited by Mother Teresa during her visit to Puducherry.
4) Sri Manakula Vinayagar Temple
The temple is of considerable antiquity and predates French occupation of the territory. During the tenure of Dupleix, there were attempts to destroy the temple but the temple was finally spared owing to strong protests from the Hindu population and the threat of British and Maratha invasion of the territory. According to mythology, Lord Ganesha is named in 16 types based on his various forms out which this god facing the east cost near Bay of Bengal it has been named as Bhuvaneshar Ganapathy, now called as Manakula Vinayagar.
5) The Promenade Beach
It is a 1.2-kilometre-long stretch in Pondicherry, starts from War Memorial and end at Dupleix Park on the Goubert Ave. The beach remains crowded with visitors enjoying sports activities like volleyball and swimming during the evening. Waterscape, ocean and the crowd make the beach an attractive destination.
6) Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
It contains rare stained glass panels depicting events from the life of Christ and saints of the Catholic Church. In recent years it has become one of the famous pilgrimage spots for Christians. The year 2008-2009 was celebrated as centenary year of founding of the parish. A special postal stamp and postal envelope were released to mark the valedictory function of the centenary celebrations.
7) French War Memorial
It is on Goubert Avenue and is a reminder of those brave soldiers who laid down their lives, for their country during the First World War. It was built in 1971. Every year on 14 July (Bastille Day) the memorial is beautifully illuminated and homage is paid to those brave martyrs.
8) Puducherry Science Centre and Planetarium
The Science Demonstration Corner conducts live demonstrations and experiments to groups of visitors and students. The Children's Corner offers simple experiments for children. A workshop equipped with tools and tackles is provided for maintenance of the exhibits and development of new ones. The Digital Planetarium simulates a dynamic view of the sky to inform visitors about astronomy. The Science Centre and Planetarium sprawl over a 3-acre land with a built-up area of 1500 m2
9) Puducherry Museum
It has the remains of archaeological findings from the Arikamedu Roman settlement. The museum also has a collection of rare bronzes and stone sculptures from the Pallava and Chola dynasties.
10) Botanical Garden
The gate leading to the garden is reminiscent of French architecture and it stands out from its immediate surroundings because it is in the middle of the old Tamil town. The Botanical Gardens were laid out in 1826 in the ornate French style, with pruned trees, flower beds and gravel lined paths and fountains. The Botanical Garden in Pondicherry has
• Children's train
• Six fountains
• A dancing fountain
• Japanese rock
• Aquarium with ornamental fish
