I had to add some more photos of our time in Pondicherry. I had misplaced these photos and found them again. Friends from Perth joined us for a week and we did a couple of half day trips. One to Auroville in the lovely old Ambassador car to see the Matrimandir and later to Chidambaram temple further south.
Auroville which is a non-denominational town of approximately two thousand people was planned with fifty thousand inhabitants in mind but this never eventuated. The people who wanted an alternative lifestyle did turn it from a red earth desert into a green landscape with millions of trees. It resembled the Australian bush in some places. The buildings there are hidden amongst the trees and there are many establishments making things such as compressed mud building bricks and many sustainable energy projects. The amazing golden domed matrimandir is the centre of the town and with prior arrangement you can go in and contemplate or meditate inside the amazing structure.
Christmas the week before was colourful with beautiful saris and floral creations and a Christmas lunch for friends and relations of the owners.
The local markets had an amazing array of foods, some in vast quantities. They should not be missed on a trip to Pondicherry.