Pondicherry
About the city
Pondicherry, with its quaint French names, boulevards and grand villas was a French colony till not so long. There is a distinct French influence that is visible between the beach and the canal, which separates the Indian part of the town from the French side. Did you know Even the policemen in Pondicherry wear red kepis and belts, reminiscent of the days when Pondicherry was a French colony. The Aurobindo Ashram here attracts people from far corners of the globe. A haven of peace, the Ashram is not just for prayers and meditation. They even have a factory famous for its distinct handmade paper. Dreamed of Utopia Then walk into Auroville, an offshoot of the Ashram is a place where people of different nationalities could live in peace and harmony and rise above the narrow confines of nationality, creed or race. Pondicherry is dotted with restaurants and cafes serving French cuisine and lovely seafoodPondicherry and the smaller enclaves of karaikal (also in Tamil Nadu), Yanam (Andhra Pradesh), Mahe (Kerala) and Chandermagore (upstream from kolkata) were all that remained of French imperial aspirations in India after the wars of the 18th century. Unlkie the Portuguese the French negotiated a settlement with independent India. Chandernagore became part of Bengal in 1951, and the remaining territories were handed over in 1954. The French were not the first to see the potential of Pondicherry; a Roman town unearthed at nearby Arikamedu in 1945 predated other Euopean settlement by 1500 years. Pondicherry is a charming town, its streets are clean and quiet by Indian standards, and the French connection has given it a character all of its own. The aera around the Governor's Residence is just like a French provincial town, plus bougainvillea of course, and the police wear kepis, though their Lee-Enfields rather spoil the effect.
The most attractive part of the town is the sea front, of which you get a good view from the new pier. The best bit of beach is between the pier and the Park Guest House. Nearby is a statue of Dupleix who, given a little more support from Paris, might have made all India a French dominion. The War Memorial must have been considered very outr's when first built, modemist to a fault. Around the back is a relief showing the arrival of Dupleix in Pondicherry in 1742. The Gandhi memorial also faces the sea. The museum (10am-5pm, closed Monday) is good, having a fine display of furniture and ephemera of the colonial period.
The Grand Bazaar is Pondicherry's main market. Very crowded, here are all the necessities of Indian life. At the south end colourful, cheerful fishwives sell piles of assorted prawns, rays, crab, shark and dozens of kinds of little fish, all absolutely fresh. Oh, for somewhere to cook it youself. The Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception is attractive enough in a Romanesque sort of way. Very plain inside, it lacks al those monuments with which the British clutter their churches, and which make them so interesting and tell so much of the colonial way of life. The Place Jeanne d'Arc is actually an unkempt garden, now half occupied by a tennis court. One guesses that the statue once stood elsewhere. The Botanical Garden, between the bus-stands and the station, is worth a look.
Peaceful Puduchcheri, an unusual blend of occident and orient is referred by various exotic epithets like, the ‘Quintessence of French Culture', India's ‘Little France' and the ‘French riviera of the East' etc. the picturesque town set on the coromandel coast was a part of French empire for about 281 years. The unique Union Territory of Pondicherry comprises of four scattered coastal enclaves - Pondicherry (now called as pudducheri) and Karaikal in tamil Nadu, Yanam in andhra Pradesh and Mahe in Kerala on the west coast. Pondicherry still retains a distinct French flavour which is very well reflected in the frand colonial mansions, beautiful boulevards and placid promenades, spellings on sign boards and buildings, names of roads and public places etc. It has also been greatly influenced by Sri Aurobindo, the great seer, prophet and poet of 20th century. Today, it is a pot-pourri of different cultures and about 55 languages are spoken here. Its endearing ambience beckons you to imbibe India's great spiritual and cultural heritage as well as relish the memerising natural beauty. Pondicherry is also a treasure trove for shopper's.
Location
Pondicherry is situated on the Coromandel Coast, located on India's Eastern coastline.Demography
Pondicherry has a population of about 9,74,000 in which males constitute 49% of the population and females around 51%. Pondicherry has an average literacy rate of 74%. Male literacy is about 84% and female literacy is around 66%. In Pondicherry, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.Fast Facts
Orientation
The Union Territory of Pondicherry lies on the Bay of Bengal, 160 km south of Chennai. It has four constituent parts --Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam. Pondicherry and Karaikal border Tamil Nadu, Mahe is surrounded by the state of Kerala while Yanam is surrounded by the East Godavari district of andhra Pradesh. A canal bisects the town of Pondicherry into an eastern and a western part --the separate European and Indian sections of the old colonial days. The Aurobindo Ashram, its offices and guest houses are spread around the streets between the waterfront and the canal. Most of the hotels are located on the west side of the canal.History
Escations in the region of Arikame near Pondicherry have proved that the Romans had settled here about 2000 years ago. Pondicherry has been successively called Poduke and Podukay in the works of geographers and historians from the very first centuries of our era. Pondicherry, as we know now, became widely know on the arrival of the French in India around February 4,1673. In 1673, the town became the property of the Dutch before beloging to France in 1699 with the "Traite de Ryswick". Francois Martin who was appointed the Administrator following the "Traite of Ryswick", restored stability to Pondicherry and developed the town. Dumas who succeeded him, followed the priniciples created by Francois Martin. For about 250 years, Pondicherry was quite a calm town except during the Carnatic Franco-English wars lead by Dupleix and Clive.Pondicherry lies on the site of an ancient port town whose remnants have been excavated at Arikamedu, 6 kms from Pondicherry. The evidence suggests that the town had trade connections with Rome and Greece around the period between 100 BC to 100 AD. In addition, the discovery of Chola coins dating from the 11th and 12th centuries indicates that Pondicherry flourished even during the Chola period. Karaikal was a part of the Chola empire but was conquered successively by the Vijaynagars, Marathas, Muslims and finally, the French.