Puducherry - A Tranquil Haven

Pondicherry Ashram-Tranquil retreat!

The Government Museum-A treasure trove of culture.

Majestic traditional dwelling

Splendid Colonial Architecture

We visited the Union Territory of Puducherry on our recent trip to Chennai. It is a four-hour smooth drive from the Koyambedu bus terminus in Chennai. Since it was an AC bus, the journey was very comfortable and less-crowded. The lush green palm trees and banana plantations, the thatched cottages and farmers working in their fields, made for pleasant sight-seeing. As we neared Puducherry, (curiously, all the localites still refer to it, by its former name- Pondicherry!) the vast, blue bay was visible on both sides of the highway. Many churches were visible en route.

Since it was already 2.30 p.m. when we reached our guest-house, we just spent the afternoon in having lunch and thereafter, a refreshing nap. In the evening, we walked to the bus-stand and made enquiries about sight-seeing trips that we intended to make.
The chaotic traffic and the vehicle riders who were as unruly as the riders back home in Pune, made us nostalgic. Puducherry also has a mix of the old, traditional dwellings and new, swanky buildings. Numerous temples dot the place.
We visited the Manakula Vinayagar temple and offered prayers to the majestic Lord Ganesh. The temple was being renovated and several laborers were busy painting the numerous Ganeshas on the compound’s walls, with bright-colored oil paints. Small shops outside the temple sold puja items, figurines of Lord Ganesh, bangles, etc. I bought some small Ganesh idols for my collection. Among them the unique ones were one made of wood, a fiber one, reading a book and another one with 2 heads (In front and at the back too!).
Then we visited the renowned Aurobindo Ashram. We were surprised to see just a crowded book-shop selling pictures and books of the Mother’s and Sri Aurobindo’s teachings, Sanskrit, etc., a small room filled with the pictures of the Mother and her spiritual guru, Sri Aurobindo and a courtyard with a profusion of neatly arranged potted plants with brightly colored flowers. Where was the Mother’s samadhi, we wondered!
The lady at the footwear stand told us that there was another entrance to the Ashram and samadhi and that it was the Mother’s birth anniversary that day. It was the 21st of February. We saw several people patiently waiting in a lengthy queue for tokens to enter the ashram.
The auto-driver was unscrupulous and wanted to take us to Auroville, at a distance of around 13 kms. to get Rs. 800/- from us, so he lied to us that there was nothing else to be seen at the ashram, besides what we had just seen and that the people in the queue were just waiting for food coupons. He even added that the food was bland, vegetarian fare, lest we decided to partake of it, little-knowing that we are vegetarians too! I was suspicious as I instinctively knew that so many people would definitely not wait for so long, just for food!
Then we went to the Government Museum, passing by the Governor of Puducherry’s elegant colonial mansion, surrounded by verdant trees and colorful bougainvillea. It was a delightful experience. Just at its entrance, is an ancient fossil-wood trunk that is a million years old! We saw a wonderful, priceless collection of ancient coins, statues, quaint means of transportation in the bygone 19th century, geological specimens of rocks and shells, antique furniture, etc. When we emerged outside, the watchman informed us that we could click snaps of the Museum’s exteriors. We clicked several snaps of the lush vegetation there as well as the sculptures of various Gods, aesthetically enhancing the tiny garden.
The auto-driver asked us to buck up. We coolly told him to drop us off at our guest-house and paid him Rs. 300/- the agreed amount. He was crest-fallen and tried to persuade us to change our mind and go to Auroville. Since we were convinced that he was unscrupulous, we didn’t relent.
In the evening, I felt restless and told my husband that we’d make another trip to the ashram. We had missed out on the real experience, my intuition told me! Again we hailed an auto and went there. We joined the queue for the token, waited for nearly two hours and finally joined another queue leading into the ashram. Volunteers clad in white, ushered us in. I told one volunteer that the token-system was flawed as people were jumping the queue and the person handing out tokens was giving those people preference. He made a note of it.
I asked him whether there was such a huge rush everyday. He informed us that the Mother’s personal quarters inside the ashram were opened to the public only on the Mother’s birth anniversary, 15th August or on one’s birthday. Only pass-holders are allowed in on other days. We were pleased as punch. We were going to have darshan of the benign Mother’s samadhi, her personal quarters and belongings on her birthday! Boy! Was I glad to have followed my hunch!
Again we waited for an hour to go in, as people were allowed in, only in batches of around 100. We patiently sat on the carpets on the ground, quietly meditating. Silence was compulsory and cell-phones had to be switched off. Some tourists were viewing messages on their mobiles and some were talking in hushed whispers, but by and large, people were silently meditating, thanks to the volunteers hovering there.
We saw the quarters housed in that majestic colonial edifice, and her belongings, covered in pristine white satin. The rooms were fragrant with incense. There was total silence and the fragrance of the Divine Mother engulfed us. We could feel her presence around us. We silently offered prayers to her, offered donations in the box placed there and walked down the wooden steps to her samadhi. It was a huge block of white marble covered with flowers and incense-sticks. We knelt down and touched the samadhi with our foreheads. Then we meditated in front of the samadhi. It was a very surreal experience.

To be continued.....

The copyright of this travelogue is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.