Opposite the Raj Nivas on Rue de Ranga Poulle, is well- laid –out garden with flower paths, lawns and fountains. The road is named after Anandarangam Pillai, Dupleix’s trusted interpreter. Pillai’s diaries, which throw light on many happening of historical importance, are preserved in the Romain Rolland Library or Bibliotheque Publique on Rue Capucine. The libeary, founded in 1827, has a collection of rere books and manuscrips. Attached to it is archaeological museum which contains valuable finds dating back too the first century, unearthed at Aribamedu, as well as age-old treasures from Poduca, the Roman city that chance flourished near Pondicherry.
To the south of the town lies a European cemetery with many interesting monuments. Nearby, at the junction of West Boulevard and Rue de Bussy, is the vast cool green of the beautifully maintained Botanical Garden. Laid out in 1826, it has a large variety of exotic plants from many parts of India and abroad.
At Dhanvantrai Nagar to the West rises the impressive medical complex named after Nehru –the Jawaharlal institute of Postgraduate medical education and research, or JIPMER as it is known.
Back in Pondicherry, the town’s truly cosmopolitan nature strikes you with a new force.
This is the place where the dream has been lived, unselfconsciously, for years.
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