Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The
Right Path Cafe
(Visitors Centre; mains ?60-340;
12.15-3pm & 6.30-9pm)
serves decent Indian
and Western food.
Getting There & Away
The main turning to Auroville from the East Coast Rd is at Periyar Mudaliarchavadi vil-
lage, 6km north of Puducherry. From there it's about 6km west to the Visitors Centre. An
autorickshaw one way from Puducherry is about ?250, or you could take a Kottukuppam
bus northbound on Ambour Salai to the Auroville turnoff (?6), then an autorickshaw for
?150. A good way to explore Auroville used to be by rented two-wheeler from outlets on
and around northern MG Rd and Mission St in Puducherry, but the Puducherry authorities
banned such rentals in 2012. If they relent, expect to pay around ?50/150/250 per day for
a bicycle/scooter/motorbike.
TYPICALLY TAMIL FESTIVALS
As well as local festivals (often temple-centred) and national ones that are celebrated here, Tamil Nadu has a
couple of important state-wide festivals of its own.
Pongal
(statewide; mid-Jan), the harvest festival, is held over four days in mid-January and is one of the
year's most important occasions for families to get together. It's named after a Tamil rice-and-lentil dish cooked
at this time in new clay pots. For many, the celebrations begin with temple rituals, followed by family gatherings.
Later it's the animals, especially cows, that are honoured for their contribution to the harvest.
Held during full moon in November/December, Karthikai Deepam (
Click here
) is Tamil Nadu's 'festival of
lights'. It is celebrated throughout the state with earthenware lamps and firecrackers, but the best place to see it is
Tiruvannamalai, where the legend began.
