Sri Aurobindo and The Mother were spiritual teachers who settled in Pondicherry. Although their philosphy grew out of Hindu scriptues, it trancended any one religion to speak to a universal divinity.
Auroville is a large planned community started by The Mother. She meant for it to be a place where anybody could come to try to seek a higher consciousness. Its charter states:

A site was chosen near Pondicherry, and work was begun in the 1970s. The plan is for a city of 50,000 people. Currently around 1,800 people from around the world live in small communities scattered around the area.
The heart of the community is a large temple in the shape of a huge golden ball, called the Matrimandir. I visited it yesterday, which involved shuffling along in line for 20 minutes, folowed by a brief glimpse inside. In it is a large meditation room made entirely of white marble. At the center of the room is a crystal ball about 2.5 ft. in diameter onto which a beam of sunlight is focused. It is one of the most peaceful spaces I have ever encountered. Luckily, after having viewed the temple, one can get a pass to do meditation there, which I also did.
Arriving at the Visitor’s Center on Monday, I tried to find accomodation with one of the communities. Everywhere I called rooms were full, so I basically gave up on the idea of staying here. While there I met a woman from the Netherlands, and we set off to go to the Matrimandir. She was looking for friends of hers, and asked if we could stop at one of the guest houses on the way, whereshe found her friends. The site was beautiful, with a circle of guest rooms facing a central courtyard and open-air dining hall. Half-jokingly, I asked for a room. As it turned out, there was a single room available just for the four days I wanted to stay. Once again I chanced upon a great situation.
Last night after meditation, I had a delicious dinner at my guest house, and then set out to find a theatre piece I had seen advertised. It was pitch black, and I had no light on my bicycle. Luckly the person I flagged down for help was headed there, and gave me a tow with his motor cycle. The theatre (done by a young American) included (anti-)war songs, and then a piece called “The Values Americans Live By”.
I spent the day today with about fifteen others in an orientation course. We had speakers in the morning, and in the afternoon we cycled around to see various communities and activities. From lamp making, to the library to the new Town Hall. I find it inspirational what people are accomplishing here.