Pondicherry is the capital city of The Union Territory of Puducherry and is one of the most popular tourist destination in SouthIndia.There are numerous places to visit and for nature lovers the parks of Pondi are a major draw. Botanical Garden located south of the New Bus Stand. is reminiscent of French architecture and it stands out from its immediate surroundings because it is in the middle of the old Tamil town. The Botanical Gardens was laid out in 1826 in the ornate French style, with pruned trees, flower beds and gravel lined paths and fountains. George Samuel Perrottet was largely responsible for transforming the place into a botanical garden in 1831.
The French introduced many exotic plants from all over the world into the garden. The gardens also have a musical fountain which is active over the weekends, with two shows in the evening that draws maximum visitors. Ousteri Lake located towards north at a distance of 10 km from Pondicherry town on the Pondicherry– Villupuram road is a wetland. The wetland covers an area of about 390 hectares and lies in both the state of TamilNadu and Puducherry. The wetland is a bird wathers paradise with a wide range of aquatic species.
The bird sanctuaryis covered with vegetation that ranges from small herbs to trees, which supports migratory avifauna as well as native birds during summer and winter months. The government of Pondicherry is proposing to set up an Ousteri National Park in the area by acquiringmore lands from neighbouring villages and expand its area. The Government Park or Bharati Park is in the green centre of the town. The Aayi Mandapam is a famous monument which lies at the center of the Bharati Park. The Government Park in Pondicherry is aptly located in the central region of the old French colonial town. The significance of this park is derived from the fact that it is surrounded by some of the most important government buildings like the Lt.
Governor’s Palace, the Legislative Assembly, Government Hospital, Ashram Dining Room, the Cercle de Pondichéry private club, and the old Hotel Qualité. Ganesh Garden, located on the Ramarajda Street in Pondicherry, is a quaint little botanical garden maintained by a French couple. Housed in a residential building, the garden cum nursery has a plethora bushes and shrubberies from medicinal plants to flowering plants. The place has been kept and groomed impressively and is a must visit for gardening enthusiasts. Energy Education Park aims to enlighten the masses on the importance of conserving. These are others parks in Pondy these are Raja Rajeswari Nagar Children’s Park, Kokku Park, and Lion Park.
