A quaint little town with strong French influence, makes one feel temporary in Europe. Synonymous with Pondicherry is the self-contained town of Auroville, the commune. I had taken a bus ride in my 20s from Chennai to Pondicherry on the scenic East Coast Road. Hiring a car from Chennai, we kept looking out for the sea coast but not even a glimpse of it till we reached our destination. It was such a letdown specially after boasting of the route being comparable to those of Monaco in the movies to my children. And a reminder that unplanned tourism can result in destruction of scenic beauty.

Make sure to book your stay in the White town area, along the beachfront Promenade. It will be a little pricier but worth it. Otherwise, you might as well be in any other area of Tamil Nadu as the area is now much overcrowded. The usual to do things in Pondicherry is the stroll along the promenade allowing one to savour the Indian Ocean breeze, visits to the churches, the German Bakery and of course Auroville. The Matrimandir was being built during the earlier visit  in the 1990s. So to see it complete was really nice. Even at the time of building, the guide explained to us the concept, the materials and the thought process that went into planning such a center for the community. 

I did not recollect seeing any banyan tree at the first time. This time the Banyan tree within the vicinity of Matrimandir, was show stealer. Over 100 years old, covering several meters in diameter. Its aerial roots have spread all over, that they almost look like multiple trunks of the same tree. It’s just something to be under that tree. Going back to Pondicherry after almost 25 years, that tree seemed as striking to me as the Matrimandir.