Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry; , , , ) is a Union Territory of India. It is a former French colony, consisting of four non-contiguous enclaves, or districts, and named for the largest, Pondicherry.

In September 2006, the territory and the city changed its official name from Pondicherry to the vernacular original, Puducherry, which means "New village" It is also known as The French Riviera of the East (La Côte d'Azur de l'Est).

Geography

A tiny part of India, once colonized by France, consisting of four non-contiguous enclaves, or districts, and named for the largest, Pondicherry.

In September 2006, the territory and the city changed its colonial name from Pondicherry back to the original Indian,1 Puducherry, which means "New village"2 The French called it the Riviera of the East (La Côte d'Azur de l'Est).

Pondicherry consists of four unconnected districts: Pondicherry, Karaikal, and Yanam on the Bay of Bengal and Mahé on the Arabian Sea. Puducherry (Pondicherry) and Karaikal are by far the larger ones, and are both enclaves of Tamil Nadu. Yanam and Mahé are enclaves of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, respectively. The territory has a total area of 492 km²: Puducherry (city) 293 km², Karaikal 160 km², Mahé 9 km² and Yanam 30 km². It has 900,000 inhabitants (2001).

History

French influence

There is evidence of Romans visiting Pondicherry around 2500 years back. The Pondicherry Museum has Roman cups, jars and the coins traded in Pondicherry at that time.

A remarkable degree of French influence in Pondicherry exists to this date. In 1787 and 1791, farmers of Karaikal agitated against the heavy land tax imposed by the French. The first war of Indian Independence had its impact in the French settlements but it did not attract the attention of the rulers, as the incidents were few and considered as local. People employed legal means to fight against the French. In 1873, an advocate, Ponnuthammbi Pillai, moved to Paris court and won the case in which he was awarded a penalty by a French Magistrate in Pondicherry for walking into the court with footwear. (The French did not allow Indians to wear shoes? As a sign of being rulers?)

Pondicherry was designed based on the French (originally Dutch; Dutch plans of Pondicherry dating from the end of the seventeenth century (1693-1694) are preserved in the National Archives at The Hague, The Netherlands) grid pattern and features neat sectors and perpendicular streets. The entire town is divided into 2 sections, the French Quarter ('Ville Blanche' or 'White town') and the Indian quarter ('Ville Noire' or 'Black Town'). Many streets still retain their French names and French style villas are a common sight in Puducherry. In the French quarter, the buildings are typically colonial style with long compounds and stately walls. The Indian quarter consists of houses lined with verandas, and houses with large doors and grills. These French and Indian style houses are identified and its architecture is preserved from destruction by an organization named INTACH. If ever anyone wishes to demolish an existing house in the town area and rebuild, they need the permission from this organization and the new built house has to resemble the earlier architectural beauty possessed before destruction. The use of French language can be still seen in Pondicherry.