Pondicherry is one of the very few Life of Pi locations that fans of the novel and film can actually visit.
Once the capital of French India, today the coastal town is unique for its mix of decaying French colonial architecture and customs, Hindu temples, Tamil culture and that inescapable Indian collision between traditional values and the urge to develop.
Here are some hints and tips for first time visitors to Pondy.
The Botanical Gardens (Jardin Botanique)
Ang Lee deemed it important to actually film in Pondicherry, saying, “There are things that happen [in Pondicherry] that you just couldn’t fake [in a film studio].”
The filmmaker shot in 18 different locations within the town, most notably the botanical garden – the place where Pi, the story’s central protagonist grew up.
Unlike the book and film, Pondy’s 200-year-old Jardin Botanique has never featured a fully-fledged zoo. Lee had to temporarily construct one during filming.
The greenest and most peaceful space in the town, the crumbling ruin is one of the finest examples of time’s ravages on Pondicherry’s past glories. The fact that practically nothing functions as it were intended isn’t a bad thing – this is the place to let your Life of Pi imagination run wild. Be sure to look out for the massive bats napping way up in the tops of the trees.
The Promenade
Pondy’s old French government administrative buildings are separated from the Bay of Bengal first by a wide boulevard, then a wide stretch of sand that smothers a legion of coastal defence boulders. A number of monuments span the mile-long promenade – the biggest, a giant statue of Gandhi, proudly takes centre stage. Though it may have the look of a beach, this is no place to swim on sunbathe. Anyone wishing to get in the water is best off heading to Ousteri lake boathouse, a 25-minute bus ride away.
Auroville
Founded in the late 1950s by a spiritual woman now referred to as the mother, Auroville in a Unesco-supported experimental community that aims to achieve “human unity”. Given its lofty and laudable goals, it seems a little churlish to describe the place as surreal. But we just can’t think of a more appropriate term for what its 2,000 or so multinational inhabitants have created.
At its heart lies a stunning construction called the Matrimandir. Inside the gold 100-foot-high elliptical sphere is what has to be one of the most stunning meditation spaces on the planet.
Visitors aren’t allowed to visit the Matrimandir unless they’ve undergone orientation. Details on Auroville ideology, how the Matrimandir was constructed and orientation can be found in the town’s visitor centre.
Hotel de L’Orient
The Hotel de L’Orient is, hands down, the most chic, cool and outrageously expensive place to stay in Pondicherry. The immaculately well-kept 1760s mansion house gives you a sense of the opulence enjoyed by the French at the height of colonialism. Though every one of its rooms is unique in shape, colour and furnishings, a distinct and refined character prevails throughout. We’d wager the Carte Blanche courtyard restaurant serves some of the best, if not the best food in town – and believe us when we say you’ll pay for it.
Satsanga
At Satsanga, a French-owned restaurant right in the heart of the French Quarter, foreigners rub shoulders with Pondy’s elite – not that they’d notice. It remains one of the best places in town for western food, in particular steak and bread.
Those diners who have arrived in Pondy after travelling for several months around India will find the food a divine reminder of the foods they tasted long ago. Those who flew in to Chennai days ago will find the food lacking in comparison to food they’re accustomed to enjoying back home.
Coffee.com
This is the best place in town to grab a coffee or hot chocolate and check your email. There are a number of PCs available, and Wi-Fi’s free for anyone who’s bought a drink.
Life of Pi trailer
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…
(Featured image: 20th Century Fox)
