Pondicherry Information

Introduction to Pondicherry

Pondicherry has been derived from the Tamil word Puducheri signifying 'the new
settlement'. It was a French settlement that comprised Pondy, Yanam, Karaikal, and
Mahe. Amazing is the fact that different districts of Pondicherry fall under different
states.

The capital Pondicherry is situated in the state of Tamil Nadu at a distance of around
200 km from Chennai

. While Karaikal is also a part of Tamil Nadu, Mahe is located in Kerala, and Yanam is in
Andhra Pradesh.

There is a strong influence of French culture on Pondicherry town, especially on it's

architecture, a result of the centuries-old relations this place maintained with France.
Today, Pondicherry is more famous because of its relation with Sri Aurobindo. Sri
Aurobindo selected this peaceful and harmonious place to make his abode in the
second decade of 20th century and remained there until his death.

Geography of Pondicherry

The Union Territory of Pondicherry extends from Latitude 11056' in the North to
Longitude 79053' in the East. Pondicherry comprises four coastal regions namely
Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam.

Pondicherry and Karaikal are situated on the East Coasts in Tamil Nadu, Yanam in
Andhra Pradesh, and Mahe on the West Coast in Kerala. It is still not known that why,
French and British limited their territories in the intermingling manner, making
Pondicherry a peculiar case for territorial jurisdiction.

Pondicherry more or less is a flat land with no hills and forests. Interspersed with parts
of Cuddalore and Villupuram districts of Tamil Nadu, the Union Territory of Pondicherry
presents a picture of scattered parts. Main soil types are red ferrallitic, black clay, and
coastal alluvial.

Brief History of Pondicherry

There are evidences of the Pallava, Chola and the Vijayanagar empires around the city.
What is interesting are the relics of Arekmedu, the famous archaeological city with a
port through which major trade was conducted with the Roman Empire. It is through this
port that India used to export silk, spices, even birds, lions, elephants to the Roman
Empire in exchange for gold. In the 16th century, the Portuguese first arrived here and
then the following century the Danes made an appearance. In 1673, the French arrived.
Till then, Pondicherry was a weaving and fishing village. The French quarters started
along the sea and extended to the south, all along the sea. The city slowly emerged
with the fort at its center. The town planners tried to implement this grid system
methodically. It required the reconstruction of many houses, mostly those of the
Tamilians. It also required the strict implementation of regulations. In all, it took the
French almost a century to implement the plan - that of the present concentric pattern
with the fort at the center and boulevards surrounding it. It has, however, expanded
beyond the boulevard in recent years.

Today, some adjacent areas, which were previously villages, have been included within
the city limits. Around the 1760's, the British destroyed the city including the fort. When
the French reoccupied it, most of the buildings were reconstructed but not the fort. In
the latter part of the 18th and early 19th century, Pondicherry again fell into British
hands and all construction activity came to a standstill. Most of the present day
buildings came up in the 19th century, which also marked the advent of water supply in
the city and the railway link with British India. By the 20th century, the city had
expanded to include many neighboring villages, although few changes were made in
the inner city. This French colony became a part of the Indian Union in the early 1950's,
with the French voluntarily relinquishing control. Today, the Union Territory of
Pondicherry includes the other three French enclaves of Karaikal (in Tamil Nadu), Mahe
(in Kerala) and Yanam (in Andhra Pradesh).

Government of Pondicherry

Pondicherry is a Union Territory, A Union Territory has its own government but falls
directly under the Central Government in New Delhi. Though a UT also has an elected
Chief Minister and cabinet members, laws and legislative regulations made in these
areas must get sanction or be ratified by the Central Government (Centre). The Centre
is represented by the Lt. Governor, who resides at the Raj Nivas at the Park, the former
palace of the French Governor. The current chief minister of the state is Shri N.
Rangaswamy.

Economy of Pondicherry

The Union Territory consists of four separate geographical areas, viz. Pondicherry and
Karaikal near Tamil Nadu, Mahe in Kerala and Yanam in Andhra Pradesh. The
economy of each of these four sub-units is related to its hinterland in the respective
state, and has little to do with the rest of the Union Territory as such. This is particularly
true of Mahe and Yanam, which are economically integrated with Kerala and Andhra
Pradesh, and cannot be said to have an autonomous existence. Even in the case of
Pondicherry, the land area is noncontiguous, since there are several enclaves of
Pondicherry within Tamil Nadu. Consequently, the Pondicherry economy can be
characterized as an “open” economy with flows of virtually all factors of production
including natural resources, labour, capital and technology. Land and water
management in Tamil Nadu affect Pondicherry and Karaikal. Karaikal is located in the
delta of the Cauvery, and is directly dependent on the flows in the Cauvery. Similarly,
both surface and ground water use in the proximity of Pondicherry would affect
availability. Agriculture and land use cannot be conceived in isolation from the adjoining
areas of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Financial flows to Pondicherry occur
not only from adjoining states, but also from different parts of the country in various
forms for investments, services, etc. As mentioned, there are also flows from outside
the country due to both remittances from NRIs and pensions paid by the French
Government.

Pondicherry Travel Information

People visit to Pondicherry to see Sri Aurobindo Ashram in the capital, where Sri
Aurobindo and the Mother lived for the most parts of their life. Other places like
Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam are also known for their strong French connections and
create a nostalgic effect on the visitors. The ashram was founded in 1920 when Sri
Aurobindo reached Pondicherry, a French colony and put in place his ideas of peaceful
community. The ashram, for long, was run by his French companion Mirra Alfassa,
universally known as the Mother. Each member of the Ashram is free to mediate the
way and by the course he follows and there are no rituals, obligatory practices, and
systematic instruction. The ashram is a diversified community with more than 1200
members out of which 400 are the students of Centre of Education. To support the
administrative system of the ashram, it has various departments to look after basic
needs of the members. More than that there are farms and gardens, printing press,
libraries, and a number of small-scale industries. The ashram houses the samadhi of Sri
Aurobindo and the mother and open to everybody for fixed hours every day.

Pondicherry Museum situated in the Government Park, has a very good sculpture
gallery and a section of archaeological finds from the Roman settlement at Arikamedu.
There is also a French section charting the history of the colony. The objects include the
four-poster bed in which Dupleix is believed to have slept. There is also a superb
collection of the snail shells from the Pondicherry Region. Promenade a lovely beach
within bike range from the city center in the north is a pleasant surprise. Much better
than most of the town beaches and with few spectators and 1.5 km long promenade.
The beach and the Promenade are the most delightful part of the city and a stroll, sun
bathe, and swim enhance the quality of experience. On the beach front are located
many sites such as a statue of Mahatma Gandhi surrounded by eight exquisitely carved
monolithic pillars, and a war memorial. Bharthi Museum is located 20 Eswaran Koil
Street, the place where the legendary Tamil poet lived after arriving here in 1908 in
search of refuge. Bharthidasan Memorial Museum is situated at Perumal Koil Street
where Kanaksubburatnam, a disciple of Bharthi lived. He changed his name to
Bharthidasan, meaning the disciple of Bharthi and his home is now the second
important place of literary pilgrimage in Pondicherry. Church of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus is another attraction for tourists. Built in the Gothic style, this massive church is
one of the most beautiful churches in Pondicherry.

Education in Pondicherry

The literacy rate in Pondicherry is much higher at 81.49% as compared to the all India
average. The male literacy rate is 88.89% while the female literacy rate is 74.13%.
Pondicherry house many reputed institutes of higher education and research.
Jawaharlal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) is one
of the country's leading centers of medical education and research. It has attached 850
bed hospital. The Alliance Francaise and the French Institute are dedicated to keeping
the French tradition alive in Pondicherry. The Alliance Francaise conducts French
language classes and arranges French cultural programs. Pondicherry Government is
giving special emphasis to IT education. Computers and Internet access is made
available to all institutions down to middle schools.
Update: Pondicherry has 8 Medical Colleges, 5 Engineering Colleges, 1 vetenary
college, 1 agriculture collage, 1 dental college, 1 law college, 2 polytechnics, 1 fashion
technology college, 1 nursing institute, 4 Government Art & Science College, 3 Private
colleges, 1 Tourism college

Food of Pondicherry

Particularly fresh seafood is no problem in Pondicherry. In fact, the city is full of small,
modestly priced hotels and restaurants that serve French and South Indian delicacies.
But it is the Ashram Cafeteria, which is the major attraction for its simple and
wholesome meals at the lowest price.

Arts & Culture of Pondicherry

Like most other southern states of India, ethnicity of the majority of people in
Pondicherry is Dravidian. They speak Dravidian languages like Tamil, Telugu, and
Malayalam. Amongst other crafts, it is beautifully crafted dolls and toys made from
terracotta, papier-mache, and Plaster of Paris that make the union territory of
Pondicherry almost a byword in the south. T

he dolls made in Pondicherry are famous in surrounding areas as Puducheri Bommai

(dolls from Pondicherry). Another famous craft of this area is bronze casting that dates
back to the 8th century AD. Puja lamps made from five metals and known as kamatchi
villakku are prized items of prayer with a large number of families in South India. Then
there is handloom cloth in traditional designs, hand-woven carpets, hand-woven woolen
pile carpets, hand printed textiles (both Kalamkari and batik), cane furniture, handmade
paper, and hand rolled incense sticks from the Sri Aurobindo Society.

Music and dances of Pondicherry are mainly extension of southern styles of classical
music. Major dance forms are Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi while Carnatic style of
music is the prevalent musical tradition.

Despite its French character, Pondicherry is quintessentially Indian. The zest for
festivals here is much the same as elsewhere in the country. Mascarade or the Mask
Festival is held in March-April when costumed merry-makers parade the streets - the
French version of holi in North India. On Masimagam, the full moon day of Magam in
February-March, idols from various neighbourhood temples are taken out for immersion
in the sea. The seafront is lined with thousands of people keen to watch the spectacle.

Festivals of Pondicherry

Indo-French war pageantry is presented on the eve of Bastille Day, a French

commemoration. International Yoga Festival is held at Aurobindo Ashram in the month
of January every year. Other important festivals of Pondicherry are Sani Peyarchi
Festival, which is organized once in every three years, and Panguni Uthiram in the
month of March-April every year.