Sri Aurobindo Ashram
Founded in 1926, a major centre for integral yoga and spiritual practice.
French colonial and spiritual heritage
Puducherry — Heritage & Culture
Monuments, living traditions and festivals that shape Puducherry beyond its city sights.
Key monuments
Auroville and the Matrimandir
An experimental international township founded 1968, centred on a golden geodesic dome.
Notre Dame des Anges Church
A 19th-century French colonial church in Puducherry's White Town.
Festivals
Bastille Day
Puducherry marks French Independence Day each July 14th, a legacy of colonial rule.
Auroville's founding anniversary
Celebrated each February 28th reflecting on the township's international ideals.
Culture
A unique French-Tamil cultural fusion, with French street names, colonial villas and Tamil temple traditions side by side.