Tamil Nadu & Karnataka - Audley Travel

Schoolgirls riding bicycles, PondicherryPondicherryArriving in Pondicherry feels like stepping intoFrance with typical blue road signs, police withgendarme caps and tax-free wine. The city hasmuch more to offer than just its colonial past, andthe restoration of the traditional Tamil merchants’houses is visible on a guided stroll around thecentre, ending with an evening promenade alongthe seafront past the huge statue of Gandhi.Outside Pondicherry is one of the most unusualsmall towns in India, the international communityof Auroville, whose members seek an alternativelifestyle. Visit and you will be able to see aninteresting exhibition and learn about the variousprojects that the community undertakes, includingenvironmental regeneration and healthcare.MAISON PERUMAL, PONDICHERRYMaison Perumal opened in 2008 and is tuckedaway in the quiet Tamil quarter of Pondicherry.It is a lovingly converted, traditional courtyardhome and maintains the character of the originalbuilding. The mix of Tamil and French influencesranges from the street veranda to the archedwindows, while even the food is Creole, with acombination of both Tamil and French styles.With only ten rooms set around the courtyards,Maison Perumal is an intimate and welcominghotel that continues the eco-friendly aim of theCGH Earth Group, who also own some of ourfavourite properties in Kerala.58The Dune, near PondicherryTHE DUNE, NEAR PONDICHERRYThe Dune is an eco-friendly beach resortcomprising individually decorated beachbungalows, spread out over a 12 hectare site.Some bungalows are partly built using reclaimedbuilding materials from colonial houses, Chettinadpalaces and Keralan planters’ mansions. Theproperty has a yoga and ayurvedic massage centre,as well as an organic farm and vegetable gardento promote a healthy stay. There is a beautifulswimming pool overlooking the beach, with asmall poolside bar that serves drinks and snacks.Maison Perumal, PondicherrySacred art andarchitectureSouth India abounds in sacred art andarchitecture. For thousands of years,successive rulers donated vast sums ofmoney to the construction, decorationand adornment of religious structures.Early rock-cut temples were succeededby stone ones with structures andiconography conforming to a set of rulesdefined by priests and based oncosmology. Central to each temple is asacred deity and the finest of thesesculptures are the 9th to 11th centuryChola Bronzes. Difficult to view in dimtemple light, the Chola Bronzes are bestseen in the museum collections inTanjore, Chennai or Delhi.