Several Buckets Of Coloured Powders For Holi, Pondicherry, India, 2008 (photo)

Pondicherry or Puducherry (‘New village’) since 2006 or Pondichery (in French) constitutes one of the Union Territory of India, and is a enclave of Tamil Nadu; located on the coast, the place is also called the ‘French Riviera of the East’, it is a former French trading post; even though the place has been handed over by France to India in 1954, French influence still present, in particular in the architecture (mainly Gothic), dishes at the restaurant, occasional French words and appellations (the French Quarter); the place contains multiple and outstanding focuses with its numerous temples and churches especially the Sacred Heart Church of Jesus, its long and clean beach bordering the city and its seafront promenade, the noteworthy collection of sculptures in the Museum; one of the main attraction in town is the Sri Aurobindo ashram, an spiritual institution, founded by Sri Aurobindo, combining education and meditation based on yogic philosophy and modern science, the influence of this establishment on Pondicherry is prominent due to its cultural, educational, artistic and productive (paper, incense) activities