Aranya Forest and Sanctuary is located in Pondicherry and is north-east of Ousteri Lake and is west of Auroville. The name ‘Aranya’ is a Sanskrit word that means forest. It is a 0.4 sq km forest area, forming a green belt for Auroville.
Aranya is enriched with two magnificent canyons having several species of flora and fauna. The sanctuary has dry evergreen forest, pristine ravines and artificial water bodies with waterfowl, fish, amphibians and aquatic arthropods. The forest has rare and endangered collections of plant species.
Aranya Forest and Sanctuary gives best opportunities to botanists, geologists and environmentalists for research.
