16th February

Day two at Pondicherry and we first visited an ashram just around the corner from our lovely hotel, which has a samadhi ( final resting place) for Shri Auribondo and the nun who carried on his work, called The Mother. The place was light and airy, filled with flowers in pots everywhere. People can stay in the Ashram, or in Guest Houses nearby, and although there appeared to be no organised activities, many sat in meditation and read. The bookshop was excellent, with not only books on the lives and teachings of the two main figures, but on philosophy, psychology and other subjects. Of course Savi ignored the fact that we have already exceeded our luggage allowance, and bought more books!


As we walked back, we saw at the end of one of the streets an elephant. In fact he was the temple elephant who puts his tung on top of devotees to bless them. We could see Geoff was tempted, but we dragged him away before he was slobbered on.


We then visited Auroville, which is a project in conservation and reclamation of a delta, but above all, it was set up to foster a multi-cultural, spiritual but non religious community dedicated to living in peace and harmony. Set within beautifully countryside maintained by local people employed by Auroville the project had been under development since 1965, and back in 2005 they eventually finished the main centrepiece of the place which is a beautiful golden "matrimandir" where devotees can sit in peace and meditate in disturbed by the world (and visitors)





Permission to go inside the dome has to be requested at least a day earlier, so was not possible on this occasion, but would love sometime A most interesting and inspiring project. Back to the hotel in the afternoon for a swim in the hotel pool and sitting reading, drinking and eating at the poolside. That evening we went off to the cultural music and dance evening which featured Parvathy Baul a nun in saffron garb with hair WAY past her waist, who sang mystical devotional songs. As she sang she strummed the stringed instrument that she is holding in her right hand, played the tabla ( drum) strung across her body and went into dervish like dances, all in time, without a faltering note or step.


-All three of us have thoroughly enjoyed our two days here In Puducherry, and said we would love to come again, as there is so much to see and do around here. It's also very clean in comparison to most parts of India, and even a pedestrianised promenade without those incessant car horns! Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Pondicherry