Tamil Nadu & Chennai - South India and Kerala - page 748

(St Louis St; Indian/foreigner ?10/50; 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Tue-Sun) Goodness knows how this cute
little museum keeps its artefacts from rotting, considering there's a whole floor of French-
era furniture and decorations sitting in the South Indian humidity. On the ground floor
look especially for the Chola, Vijayanagar and Nayak bronzes, and the pieces of ancient
Greek and Spanish pottery and amphorae (storage vessels) excavated from Arikamedu, a
once-major trading port a few kilometres south of Puducherry.

Sri Manakula Vinayagar Temple
MAP

HINDU TEMPLE

GOOGLE MAP

(Manakula Vinayagar Koil St; 5.45am-12.30pm & 4-9.30pm) Pondy may have more churches than
most towns, but this is still India, and the Hindu faith still reigns supreme. Don't miss the
chance to watch tourists, pilgrims and the curious get a head pat from the temple elephant
at this temple dedicated to Ganesh. The temple also contains over 40 skilfully painted
friezes.

Churches
Puducherry has one of the best collections of over-the-top cathedrals in India. Merci,
French missionaries. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral MAP GOOGLE MAP (Mission
St) , completed in 1791, is a robin's-egg-blue-and-cloud-white typically Jesuit edifice in a
Goa-like Portuguese style, while the brown-and-white grandiosity of the Sacred Heart Basilica
MAP GOOGLE MAP (Subbayah Salai) is set off by stained glass and a Gothic sense of proportion.
The twin towers and dome of the mellow pink-and-cream Notre Dame des Anges MAP
GOOGLE MAP (Dumas St) , built in the 1850s, look sublime in the late-afternoon light. The
smooth limestone interior was made using eggshells in the plaster.

CHURCHES

Activities

Sita
MAP GOOGLE MAP
( 9944016128; www.pondicherry-arts.com ; 22 Candappa Moudaliar St; single class ?250-1000) This energetic
young Franco-Indian cultural centre runs a host of activities and classes for adults and
kids, which visitors are welcome to join. You can try Indian or French cooking, bharatan-
atyam or Bollywood dance, kolam making, mehndi (henna 'tattoos'), yoga, ayurveda and
more. For most activities,it's possible to do a single session.

ARTS, COOKING