Establishment over a century ago, a visit to the Anglo - French Textile mills is an education in itself. The mill gives a ten percent rebate on purchases made by tourist who go on guided Tours. The acclaimed fabrics and products of this mill make ideal mementos and gifts.
The early sea-farers to Pondicherry were guided by a beacon kept burning on the Red Hills (Gorimedu), about 5 kms west of the town. The now-abandoned light house standing on the edge of the sea near the Place Du Gouvernement was lighted for the first time on 1 July, 1836. The light was placed upon a masonry tower, 29 m above sea level and was visible upto a distance of 29 kms into the sea. In 1931, the fixed light was replaced by a revolving lantern. It fell into disuse with the commissioning of the new lighthouse in 1979.
No visit to Pondicherry is complete without a free-wheeling stroll down the peaceful promenade - Goubert Avenue ('Beach Road', locally speaking). Where you'll find this elegant tribute to the uniform. It gets prettily illuminated during a solemn ceremony every 14 July, Bastille Day.
A lasting, triumphant image of the heroic French damsel Jeanne d' Arc, is frozen in marble, within the garden laid out in front of L' Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges.
This is Pondicherry's tribute to Francois Dupeix whose able governorship came to an end in 1754. However, French recognition came about a century later, when, in 1870, they paid homage by commissioning two statues - one in France and the other in Pondicherry.
The 2.88 m tall structure was erected over six carved ornamental granite pillars at the Place du Republique. It now stands restationed overlooking a children's park at the southern end of the promenade, now named Goubert Avenue.
To the north of Rajghat is Santiban. 1st Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's last rites were performed here on 27 May 1964. A tombstone has been erected on his funeral place. Next to it, the tomb of Sanjay Gandhi who was died in a plane crash in 1980.
Vedh Shala, Ujjain is located on the site of India's first scientific observatory. Vedh Shala, Madhya Pradesh was built by Maharaja Jai Singh between 1725 and 1730. Vedh Shala, Ujjain is a masterpiece and an excellent work of art.
Ujjain was the hub of all activities of Hindu astronomers and astrologers from ancient times, which paved the way for establishment of an observatory in the 17th century. In local phraseology this observatory is called as Jantar Mantar, which is a plagiaristic form of Yantra and Mantra.
Vedh Shala observatory lies to the southeast of the town and consists of four monuments. The first one is a 22 feet high Samrata Yantra, which was used to calculate the time. The Equinoctial days are calculated with the help of the second instrument by name Nadi Walaya Yantra. The position of stars and planets are calculated with the help of the third instrument, Dignasha Yantra. Bhitti Yantra helps to calculate the declination of the sun and the distance of the zenith.
It is one of the 'Toranas' or ornamental entrance arches leading to a large temple either of Vishnu or of Trimurti. Hindola means a swing, and this tarana with its two upright pillars and cross-beam has a truly connotative name. All the four sides of the two lofty pillars are carved into panels with insets of the ten incarnations of Vishnu.
A rare sculpture has been found at Gyaraspur.It is an exquisite stone figure of a Vrishaka (wood nymph) belonging to a period between the 8th & 9th century A.D. and kept in the archaeological museum,Gwalior.It has been brought there from Gyaraspur.