Being a heritage lover the best part of Pondicherry according to me was the walk around White Town. As the name suggest it was a secluded section in Pondicherry which was exclusively reserved for the white French people who had settled here and called it home after 1674 when they acquired it and used it as a trading post along with other locations such as Mahe, Karaikal, Yanam and Chandannagar.
I have been to Chandannagar since it’s quite near to Kolkata and the classic French architecture is present but not like what we can see in White Town. The moment you enter this locality you will be transported a century back into some French town. The roads, houses, hanging balconies, crisscrossing streets are typical that of a French town something similar that I had seen in St. Louis in Senegal.
Location of Pondicherry White Town
It was a visual pleasure beyond words, bright yellowing houses with hanging veranda, bougainvillea covering the entrance and for a change spick and span clean streets. Even though Pondicherry was officially handed back to India in 1954 by the French government but the town remained the way it was and thus creating a pause in its history which is to be cherished.
This is a photo blog that I am dedicating to this wonderful little French town in India. Let the images speak a thousand words to you.
