A short walk through the gridded, cobblestoned lanes of Pondicherry’s French Quarter, also known as White Town and the French Riviera of the East, can throw up some French architecture marvels that are nothing less than a visual treat. Think bougainvillea-lined streets, colonial-style villas with compound walls and stately doorways, soothing flashes of pastel pinks and yellows, ornate balconies, long windows with vertical cast iron bars as grills, large courtyards and stucco designs.
If you’re looking to soak in the best of the colonial architecture Pondicherry has to offer, we’ve custom-crafted a little routine you can take when in town. You start at the sea-facing Beach Road and zigzag your way through the parallel Dumas and Romain Rolland streets. Hop in to explore, or simply gawk at the distinct architectural style of the buildings.
Hotel De Ville
Witness the under-construction 143-old historic site—also known as Town Hall or the Mairie building— that collapsed in 2014 due to incessant rain in the region. The building, with its once white and stately facade, is one of most important administrative and political landmarks in Pondicherry. It not only served as the abode of the municipal and local assembly in the 1880s, but also saw the first-ever democratic exercise during 1871 to 1900, much before the first general election was held in British India. Thanks to the efforts of the Project Implementation Agency (PIA) of the Puducherry Government, the site is on its way to being redeveloped right now, and is estimated to be completed in early 2020.
Notre Dame Des Anges
Located at a mere six-minute walk away from Hotel De Ville, this is the fourth oldest church in the union territory, and offers mass in three languages––English, French, and Tamil. Nestled at the intersection of Bussy and Romain Rolland street, the structure is made in a Greco-Roman style of architecture. Several details accentuate its colonial exterior and interiors, including two square bell towers, a polygonal dome, vaults, arches, vertical rectangular windows, Corinthian columns and a dull powder pink frontage.
Dune De L’Orient
If you walk from Bussy towards Bazaar Saint Laurent street, you’ll encounter a hotel dating back to the 1760s that has a very interesting history. As it turns out, it has served as the home for the governor general of the French establishment, as well as the headquarters of the Department of Education. The interiors feature four poster beds, high ceilings, hand-written postcards and an in-house Creole restaurant offering regional cuisine.
Cluny Embroidery Centre
Just a few steps ahead of Dune De L’Orient is thus 200-year-old heritage bungalow, which is run by a local convent and supports underprivileged women. The property boasts an impressive entrance with solid columns, a high roof built over teak-wood beams and chessboard-like floors. The main doorway is accentuated with two ornamental sculptures created with the bas-relief technique. A particular highlight of the interior is the exquisite embroidery work created by the women housing it, showcased on a wide range of products from tablecloths and napkins to baby bed sheets and wall hangings.
École Française d'Extrême-Orient
A few steps to the left of Cluny Embroidery centre, at Dumas street, is a vision in pastel yellow and blue—the École Française d'Extrême-Orient, or the French School of the Far East. This heritage library houses over 11,000 Indology books as well as a series of Sanskrit, Tamil, and Manipravalam palm-leaf manuscripts. A collection of plans and elevations of South Indian temples, Tamil and colonial houses, and maps of South Indian towns and cities are also available in this one-of-a-kind library.
Gratitude
A two-minute walk down Romain Rolland Street will bring you to this heritage home, which has been restored over the course of three years in collaboration with INTACH, an organisation that restores and maintains heritage sites across India. An archetypal shade of Pondicherry yellow, black metal brackets, wooden beams and long rectangular windows with plenty of greenery in the foreground highlight this quaint space.
Also read:
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The baker who left the States to make Pondicherry’s best bread
