| Pondicherry
is a tourist destination not only due
to its variety of virgin beaches and
gardens but also because of it monuments
which are an integral part of Pondicherry
History. These monuments signify a variety
of activities that have happened here
in the past like battles and sieges,
Maharajas, courtesans, the French rule
and so on.
A number of monuments can be found
along the cost of the Promenade beach
which includes the statues of Mahatma
Gandhi, Joan of Arc and Dupleix, the
War Memorial etc. Across the street
where the Gandhi statue stands prominently,
there is a Nehru statue built as well.
The area in the front of this statue
is used for hosting several cultural
shows and commercial activities throughout
the year. Along the side of the Promenade
Beach there is a French Heritage building
which acts as the information centre
for tourists here.
The building which houses the government
machinery is the Park Monument with
the Aayi Mandapam standing in the middle.
Aayi was a courtesan in the 16th century
in whose noble gesture of building a
reservoir in place of the home she lived,
earned her fame. . The government park
is shaded in green and the Aayi Mandapam
is spotlessly white. Arikamedu is a
site with historical relevance as it
was supposed to be a great trading centre
with the Romans. It holds great promise
for a student of history. One could
find the remains of a French Jesuit
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