Auroville Beach

Where?
A former French colony and famed as the La Côte d'Azur de l'Est or “the French Riviera of the East”, Puducherry or Pondicherry is famous for its wondrous architecture, spiritual ambience and beautiful beaches that take you straight back to French style avenues. Take a dip in history and leisure and go back in time with the city of dawn; the Auroville beach in Pondicherry. Nestled with love along the shoreline that borders the Bay of Bengal and founded as a project of Sri Aurobindo Society by Mira Alfassa, Auroville beach is located in Auroville, 12 kms north of Pondicherry. It is an international town and belongs to humanity as a whole, with 40% Indians, 15 % French and 15% German population.

Why Auroville beach?
To experience serenity in its truest meaning. With a motto of seeing a"progress of humanity towards its splendid future by bringing together people of goodwill and aspiration for a better world", The Mother believed in a universal township that the township will contribute resolutely towards the Indian renaissance. And this is exactly what the town offers: peace and harmony. Auroville is indeed a splendid experience that merges its culture and belief with the nature’s abundance, extending harmony to a scale that is undoubtedly macro.

What else?
Apart from the brownie of enjoying a clean beach and a great town with its underlying rich culture, the matrimandir is a must visit while you are in Auroville, which is celebrated as "an outstanding and original architectural achievement". Concived by The Mother as “a symbol of the Divine's answer to man's inspiration for perfection”, the matrimandir becomes one’s path to achieving peace. Walk up the spiraling ramp to find a 70 cm crystal ball at its centre that’s mount in gold and is designed to glow with a single ray of sunlight, which is aimed at the globe from the top of structure. Auroville also proffers a real treat to the eye with its colonial architecture and peaceful surroundings. It is an exploration of your senses.Another must see is the pedicure center that employs little fishes to nibble away the dead skins from your feet as you relax away. Also, a must witness is the banyan tree that is planted right in the centre of Auroville; believe it or not, it acts as the foundation and base of Auroville.

How do I get there?
The most common mode of transport is by rickshaw or taxi from Chennai airport via the East Coast Road which connects Chennai and Pondicherry. Once in Auroville, you can take the luxury of hiring yourself a two-wheeler to see around the township. The most common mode of transport is by rickshaw or taxi from Chennai airport via the East Coast Road which connects Chennai and Pondicherry. Once in Auroville, you can take the luxury of hiring yourself a two-wheeler to see around the township.

Where do I stay?
The Exotica Beach Resort and the Shiv Shanti Holiday Inn are amongst the prominent hotels in Shrivardhan.

What do I carry?
There is an array of options to choose from while you are in Auroville. From standard budget resorts to villas, studios, apartments and houses, Auroville has a roof to offer to every one.

For information on guest houses, visit: www.aurovilleguesthouses.org

Phone number of Guest service: 091 413 2622704

For bookings e-mail: avguests @ auroville . org . in