Pondicherry is best known for the ashram of Sri Aurobindo. Sri Aurobindo, began practicing yoga in 1905. He later moved to Pondicherry and worked out a new system of mind development called "Integral Yoga" wherein all life is yoga. His path was followed by Madame Mirra Richard, a French painter-sculptor. The duo got together in 1926 and founded an ashram to put their beliefs into practice.
The ashram is a beautiful place where visitors come to find peace and solace. It attracts those who believe in Sri Aurobindo's way of life and is a perfect place to meditate and practice yoga. The Ashram's buildings coloured in grey with white trim draw inspiration from the French influence in Pondicherry. Inside the ashram are the samadhis of Sri Aurobino and Mirra Richard who is remembered as Maa. A mini township, the ashram today has its own educational facilities, library, publications as well as a small industrial infrastructure, which produces things like pottery and candles. It comprises 120 buildings and is a vibrant centre of life in a modern urban setting. Every year the ashram attracts yoga masters and yoga enthusiasts for its annual International Yoga Festival held in January.