Puducherry

Pondicherry (or Puducheri) means 'the new settlement'. It was a French settlement comprising of Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam besides Pondicherry. A unique thing about Pondicherry is that it spreads into several states. While Karaikal is in Tamil Nadu, Mahe is in Kerala, and Yanam is a part of Andhra Pradesh. Situated around 200 kilometres south of Chennai, Pondicherry is today a union territory where the French connection on the architecture and culture of the place is strongly visible-a result of the centuries-old relation with the French power. However, the fame of Pondicherry lies not in its French connection but its relation with the saint-philosopher Aurobindo Ghosh who founded his ashram here. Sri Aurobindo was a political revolutionary who reached Pondicherry in 1920 and established a place for peaceful and harmonious living. Today the ashram is home to nationals from every part of the world, who come here to find peace and solitude.

Pondicherry is a Union Territory of India.Pondicherry consists of four small unconnected districts: Pondicherry, Karaikal, and Yanam on the Bay of Bengal and Mahé on the Arabian Sea. Pondicherry and Karaikal are by far the larger ones, and are both enclaves of Tamil Nadu. Yanam is an enclave of Andhra Pradesh, and Mahé is an enclave of Kerala. The territory has a total area of 492 km².

The Union Territory of Pondicherry includes Pondicherry proper - a coastal enclave in Tamil Nadu - and the enclaves of Karaikal (in Tamil Nadu) and Yanam (in Andhra Pradesh) on the eastern coast and Mahe (in Kerala) on the western coast. All the enclaves are far apart. Pondicherry is a famous tourist centre and famous for Sri Aurobindo Ashram.