Important place of interest in Pondicherry is Sri Aurobhindo Ashram which was set up by the Freedom Fighter and the Philosopher Sri Aurobindi He was an activist and a Philosopher too.
On 15th August of every year in Pondicherry, the birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo is celebrated. Sri Aurobindo was born on August 15th 1872 in Calcutta to a Bengali family. Pondicherry is the capital of the union territory of Puducherry.
It is located at a distance of 160 kilometers from Chennai and 300 kilometers from Bangalore. India became independent of the British in 1947 but the French settlements moved out of India in 1954 handing out the present union territory of Puducherry to the Indian government.
This city still preserves its French legacy with neatly lined streets and cafes. Pondicherry also houses the Aurobindo Ashram. The ashram is a spiritual place built when a small community of followers came together and gathered around Sri Aurobindo.
Sri Aurobindo was a philosopher, guru, yogic and nationalist. For a while in his lifetime he joined the Indian movement which protested against the British rule in India. At one point he left his political career for spiritual work. He stayed in Pondicherry and started devoting his time to the practice of yoga.
At the beginning, he had only a few followers but as time went by the numbers grew and with it came the advent of the Aurobindo Ashram. His most favorite follower was Mirra Alfassa whom he affectionately called, Mother.Sri Aurobindo passed away on December 5th, 1950. His birthday is celebrated every year all over India and with grandeur at the ashram.