Pondicherry Cycle Tour: A journey through history
Hello all,
And my dream goes like this. We landed at the airport. The airport that always gives a feeling of homecoming. My heart always starts to pound faster whenever I land at the Jolly Grant airport, Dehradun. Just stepping outside the plane gives a state of calm and peace. I take a deep breath and get my first glimpse of those hills, and I feel I am home. I know my home is miles and miles away from this place, but still, there is a feeling of belonging. The feeling which they call Hiraeth, the Welsh feeling of missing home, the deep sense of void a person feels whenever one is missing home. It is the sense of incompleteness, a sense of want. When a quotidian life overwhelms me with daily responsibilities, with just the memories of those mountains, the weary ache in my heart quickly dissipates. And that is Hiraeth for me. This is how the state of incompleteness completes me. Despite being impermanent in our lives, mountains have a permanent place in the ur heart and soul.
But this blog is not about my dream or me missing mountains or me yearning to be there or about Hiraeth. This blog is about trying to find something new, even if your mind and soul crave for something else. Because life is all about finding peace and happiness, isn’t this the lesson the mountains teach us? To keep going higher and higher until you reach the summit and understand that you are small, so small in this grand scheme of the universe, and yet you exist! You survive each moment and each breath. You are a fighter simply because you are alive! You are living in a moment! And that’s the only reason we want to try something new on every trip. Be it as simple as a heritage walk in the cities and the villages of Odisha or as thrilling as the cliff jumping in Meghalaya. Be it as exciting as snorkelling in Phuket or as adventurous as tobogganing in Finland. When I saw the wonderful pictures of vintage cycles in the streets of Pondicherry, I knew that we were surely going to do this whenever we visit this fantastic city.
We opted for Sita Tour Operator for this exciting yet straightforward heritage cycling tour of Pondicherry. They took us through some beautiful heritage spots and lanes we would never have found on our own. The best part is that it is not just a cycle tour, but they make you dive into the history of Pondicherry. History from black town to white town, from Tamil, Muslim to French culture and a beautiful amalgamation of all these through the impressive architecture of this spectacular city. It never felt dangerous or risky. Our guide, Mr Dinesh, is a kind-hearted, fantastic person, and he made it quite enjoyable. After listening to his point of view, we saw the white town from a different perspective.
Tamil Quarters:
He took us to old houses, which are a combination of Tamil and French architectural patterns in the Indian part of the town.
Muslim Quarters:
After that, we went to the quaint alleys of the Muslim quarters with a visit to an old Mosque.
Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:
We also went to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is a Roman church situated on the South Boulevard of Pondicherry. One of the most famous landmarks of the city. It was built by French missionaries in 1908. This enigmatic red church is made in the Roman-Byzantine style and is one of the most beautiful churches in India. The most beautiful aspect of the church is that it has stained glass windows. There are beautiful red hearts carved on the upper part of the pillars, as the name of the church.
French quarters and white town:
Once we entered the white town, he guided us through the quiet streets in the ashram area and last but not least, the French heritage part of the town!
Cluny Embroidery Art Society:
He took us to Cluny Embroidery Art Society, in an old heritage town, in an old building run by nuns and which employs many needy women. They do exquisite embroidery with satin stitch, French knot, etc.
Lady of Angels Church:
The church was established by the Capuchins and was built in 1707. Multiple renovations have been done. But the most eye-catching part of the present is the soothing pastel shades of the interior. It provides a sense of peace and calmness and is totally overwhelming. It is also the only church where mass is celebrated in all three languages of the city, that is, French, English and Tamil.
Governor’s House and Bharti Park:
He also took us to the front of the Governor’s house and Bharti Park. He explained to us about Aayi Mandapam, which is a white monument in the centre of the park built by Napoleon III Emperor of France. The monument was named after a lady named Aayi, who destroyed her own house to erect a water reservoir to supply water for the city.
We had nice filter coffee on the way and returned to their quarters with beautiful memories and tons of pictures!
Duration of tour: 2 hours.
Timings: They have a 7:00 am slot, but as ours was a private tour, we went at 3:30 pm.
Location of Sita Culture Centre: here
Contact Number: 9944016128
So don’t miss this amazing heritage cycle tour while you are in Pondicherry!
Thanks so much sir
Thanks to you….
Nice article 👍
Thank you..
Please share itinerary for Pondicherry.
Mode of transport from Chennai and stay at Pondicherry….non urgent.
sure…will do in the next blog.
Very good that you enjoyed cycle tour and also experienced mixed culture 👍
Thank you…
Very nice
I remember going to le cafe
Right on the beach
We stayed at grattitude
In French quarters
Thank you…yes Le Cafe is amazing..
A bicycle ride around the world begins with a single pedal stroke
good going dox
Thank you..
Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance, you must keep moving
Thank you…
Pondicherry and Auroville
one must thing to do In pondicherry after auroville is this Tour
Amazing
Thank you…