South India & Kerala’s Top 10 - South India and Kerala - page 8

South India & Kerala's Top 10
Puducherry Savoir Faire
CLAUDE RENAULT / GETTY IMAGES ©
6 A little pocket of France in Tamil Nadu? Pourquoi pas? In this former French colony,
mustard-coloured houses line cobblestone rues, austere cathedrals are adorned with archi-
tectural frou-frou, and the croissants are the real deal. But Puducherry (Pondicherry; Click
here ) is also a classic Tamil town - with all the history and hubbub that go along with that
- and a classic retreat town, too, with the Sri Aurobindo Ashram at its heart. Turns out that
yoga, pain au chocolat , Hindu deities and colonial-era architecture make for a très atmo-
spheric mix.