union territory Among the states and union territories of India, a Union Territory (UT) is a region that is directly governed by the Government of India, central government of India, as opposed to the states, which have their own State governments of India, s ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

French India French India, formally the (), was a French colony comprising five geographically separated enclaves on the Indian subcontinent that had initially been factories of the French East India Company. They were ''de facto'' incorporated into the ...

Karikal Karaikal (, , Help:IPA/French, /kaʁikal/) is a port city of the Indian States and territories of India, Union Territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is the administrative headquarters of the Karaikal district, Karaikal Di ...

Chandannagar Chandannagar (), also known by its former names Chandannagore and Chandernagor (), is a city in the Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is headquarter of the Chandannagore subdivision and is a part of the area covered by Ko ...

Puducherry district The Puducherry District, also known by its former name Pondicherry district, is one of the four districts of the union territory of Puducherry in South India. The district occupies an area of , spread over 12 non-contiguous enclaves lying on ...

Karaikal district Karaikal district ( French: ''District de Karikal'') is one of the four districts of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. Geography Karaikal district occupies an area of . Karaikal is a small coastal enclave of territory which was f ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

Yanam district Yanam district () (previously Yanaon, ()) is one of the four census districts of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. Administratively it falls under the Puducherry district. Geography Yanam district occupies an area of , It is located ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' (), also known by its Latin name as the , is a Greco-Roman world, Greco-Roman periplus written in Koine Greek that describes navigation and Roman commerce, trading opportunities from Roman Egyptian ports lik ...

G. W. B. Huntingford George Wynn Brereton Huntingford (19 November 1901 – 19 February 1978) was an English linguist, anthropologist and historian. He lectured in East African languages and cultures at SOAS, University of London from 1950 until 1966.Arikamedu (now part of Ariyankuppam). Huntingford noted that Roman pottery was found at Arikamedu in 1937. In addition,

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

excavations between 1944 and 1949 showed that it was "a trading station to which goods of Roman manufacture were imported during the first half of the 1st century" Subsequent investigation by Vimala Begley from 1989 to 1992 modified this assessment, and now place the period of occupation from the third or second century BCE to the eighth century CE. French India 1815

In 1674, the municipality of Pondicherry (Pondichéry) became a colony in the

French colonial empire The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas Colony, colonies, protectorates, and League of Nations mandate, mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "Firs ...

. Together with Chandernagor (already French since 1673), Mahé (since 1721), Yanam ( Yanaon) (since 1723),

Karaikal Karaikal (, , Help:IPA/French, /kaʁikal/) is a port city of the Indian States and territories of India, Union Territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is the administrative headquarters of the Karaikal district, Karaikal Di ...

(Karikal) (since 1739) and Masulipatam (1760), it formed the colony of

French India French India, formally the (), was a French colony comprising five geographically separated enclaves on the Indian subcontinent that had initially been factories of the French East India Company. They were ''de facto'' incorporated into the ...

, under a single French governor in Pondicherry, although French rule over one or more of these enclaves was repeatedly interrupted by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

occupations. The territories of French India were completely transferred to the Republic of India '' de facto'' on 1 November 1954, and ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...

'' on 16 August 1962, when French India ceased to exist, becoming the present Indian union territory of Pondicherry, combining four coastal enclaves. The fifth,

Chandannagar Chandannagar (), also known by its former names Chandannagore and Chandernagor (), is a city in the Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is headquarter of the Chandannagore subdivision and is a part of the area covered by Ko ...

, merged with the state of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

in 1954. Immediately after the ''de facto'' transfer, the area was renamed the 'State of Pondicherry' by the "French Establishments (Change of Name) Order, 1954" issued by the

Ministry of External Affairs of India The Ministry of External Affairs (abbreviated as MEA; ISO: ) is India's foreign ministry. The ministry is tasked with formulating and implementing India's foreign policy and representing India on the global stage. The Ministry is headed by t ...

. The State of Pondicherry continued to be under the direct control of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

under the aegis of the Ministry of External affairs until 31 August 1964. Meanwhile, with effect from 1 July 1963, the State of Pondicherry officially became the Union Territory of Pondicherry and after 31 August 1964 it came under the control of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Until 2016, the ''de jure transfer day'' (i.e. 16 August) was a public holiday with no official celebrations taking place. In 2016, Lt. Governor of Puducherry, Kiran Bedi, made it a holiday as "De Jure Transfer Day." Since 2010, ''de facto transfer day'' (i.e. 1 November) has been celebrated as Liberation day throughout Puducherry. In 2014, Liberation day was declared as a public Holiday. This initiative was taken shortly after the NDA government came to power in 2014 and newly appointed Lt. Governor A. K. Singh issued a notification regarding that decision of the central government.

Geography

The Union Territory of Puducherry consists of four small unconnected districts:

Puducherry district The Puducherry District, also known by its former name Pondicherry district, is one of the four districts of the union territory of Puducherry in South India. The district occupies an area of , spread over 12 non-contiguous enclaves lying on ...

(),

Karaikal district Karaikal district ( French: ''District de Karikal'') is one of the four districts of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. Geography Karaikal district occupies an area of . Karaikal is a small coastal enclave of territory which was f ...

() and

Yanam district Yanam district () (previously Yanaon, ()) is one of the four census districts of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. Administratively it falls under the Puducherry district. Geography Yanam district occupies an area of , It is located ...

() on the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...

and Mahé district () on the

Laccadive Sea The Laccadive Sea ( ), also known as the Lakshadweep Sea, is a body of water bordering India (including its Lakshadweep islands), the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. It is located to the southwest of Karnataka, to the west of Kerala and to the south of ...

, covering a total area of . Puducherry and Karaikal have the largest areas and population, and are both enclaves of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. Yanam and Mahé are enclaves of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

and

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

, respectively. Its population, as per the 2011 Census, is 1,394,467. Puducherry is the smallest union territory in terms of sea coastline with 30.6 km length. Some of Puducherry's regions are themselves amalgamations of non-contiguous enclaves, often called "pockets" in India. The Puducherry region is made of 11 such pockets, some of which are very small and entirely surrounded by the territory of Tamil Nadu. Mahé region is made up of three pockets. This unusual geography is a legacy of the colonial period with Puducherry retaining the borders of former

French India French India, formally the (), was a French colony comprising five geographically separated enclaves on the Indian subcontinent that had initially been factories of the French East India Company. They were ''de facto'' incorporated into the ...

. All four regions of Puducherry are located in the coastal region. Five rivers in

Puducherry district The Puducherry District, also known by its former name Pondicherry district, is one of the four districts of the union territory of Puducherry in South India. The district occupies an area of , spread over 12 non-contiguous enclaves lying on ...

, seven in

Karaikal district Karaikal district ( French: ''District de Karikal'') is one of the four districts of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. Geography Karaikal district occupies an area of . Karaikal is a small coastal enclave of territory which was f ...

, two in Mahé district and one in

Yanam district Yanam district () (previously Yanaon, ()) is one of the four census districts of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. Administratively it falls under the Puducherry district. Geography Yanam district occupies an area of , It is located ...

drain into the sea, but none originates within the territory.

Districts

*

Pondicherry district The Puducherry District, also known by its former name Pondicherry district, is one of the four districts of the union territory of Puducherry in South India. The district occupies an area of , spread over 12 non-contiguous enclaves lying on ...

is an enclave of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, also serves as the capital of Union Territory of Puducherry. *

Karaikal district Karaikal district ( French: ''District de Karikal'') is one of the four districts of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. Geography Karaikal district occupies an area of . Karaikal is a small coastal enclave of territory which was f ...

is an enclave of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. * Mahé district is an enclave of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. *

Yanam district Yanam district () (previously Yanaon, ()) is one of the four census districts of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. Administratively it falls under the Puducherry district. Geography Yanam district occupies an area of , It is located ...

is an enclave of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census,

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

is the major religion, adhered to by 87.3% of the population. Other religions practiced in the territory include

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

(6.3%) and

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

(6.1%). According to the 2011 census,

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

is the major language spoken by 88.22% of the population. Other languages spoken in the territory include Telugu (5.96%) and

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

(3.84%).

Government and administration

Puducherry is a

union territory Among the states and union territories of India, a Union Territory (UT) is a region that is directly governed by the Government of India, central government of India, as opposed to the states, which have their own State governments of India, s ...

of India rather than a state, which implies that governance and administration fall directly under federal authority. It is one of three union territories (with the

National Capital Territory of Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

and Jammu and Kashmir) entitled by a special constitutional amendment to an elected legislative assembly and cabinet of ministers, thereby conveying partial statehood. There has been some interest by the territory's government in receiving full statehood, but budgetary issues remain a consideration. Also, Mahe and Yanam may oppose such a change of status. The central government is represented by the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, who resides at the Raj Nivas (Le Palais du Gouverneur) at the Park, the former palace of the French governor. The central government is more directly involved in the territory's financial well-being unlike states, which have a central grant that they administer. Consequently, Puducherry has at various times, enjoyed lower taxes, especially in the indirect category.

Special administration status

According to the Treaty of Cession of 1956, the four territories of former French India territorial administration are permitted to make laws with respect to specific matters. In many cases, such legislation may require ratification from the federal government or the assent of the

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

. Article II of the Treaty states:

(The Establishments will keep the benefit of the special administrative status which was in force prior to 1 November 1954. Any constitutional changes in this status which may be made subsequently shall be made after ascertaining the wishes of the people).

Languages

The most widely spoken first language is

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

, which is native to % of the population. There are also speakers of Telugu (%),

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

(%) and

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

(%). The official languages of Puducherry are French,

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

, Telugu (in Yanam),

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

(in Mahe) and English. An official mention in

Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...

Parliamentary debates during 2006 confirms that Puducherry has all these five languages as official.

Continuation of French

Even after the de facto transfer of the French Indian settlements in November 1954, French continued to remain as the

official language An official language is defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary as, "the language or one of the languages that is accepted by a country's government, is taught in schools, used in the courts of law, etc." Depending on the decree, establishmen ...

according to Article XXVIII of the (Treaty of Cession) of 1956. Article XXVIII of the Treaty states:

(The French language shall remain the official language of the Establishments so long as the elected representatives of the people shall not decide otherwise).

The 1963 Pondicherry representative assembly resolution also voted for continuance of French as official language and addition of other languages spoken in Puducherry such as Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam along with English and Hindi.

Inclusion of other languages

Considering the 1956 Treaty of cession and 1963 Assembly resolution, the 1963 Union Territories Act reconfirmed the 1963 resolution that French shall continue to be used as an official language unless the legislative assembly decides otherwise. The 1963 act allowed provision for inclusion of more official languages. Two years later, new official languages were recognised by The Pondicherry Official Language Act, 1965 which makes no mention of French (but also not officially denying it) implying the implicit continuation of its official language status. The same act stated that the Tamil language shall be the language to be used for all or any of the official purposes of the Union territory and the same official recognition is given for English. The same act also recognized officially Malayalam and Telugu in the Mahé and Yanam districts respectively. The widespread

anti-Hindi agitations The anti-Hindi agitations in Tamil Nadu have been ongoing intermittently in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu (formerly Madras State and part of Madras Presidency) since the early 20th century. The agitations involve several mass protes ...

in the mid-1960s in South India would have prompted for inclusion of all the languages suggested in the 1963 assembly resolution except Hindi in the list of official languages of Puducherry. While the Union Territory official gazette's name is in French (), it is published exclusively in English.

Judiciary

The jurisdiction of the

Madras High Court The High Court of Judicature at Madras is a High Courts of India, High Court located in Chennai, India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is one of ...

has been extended to Pondicherry with effect from 6 November 1962. The Chief Justice of the Madras High Court is the head of the judiciary of Puducherry. The present chief justice is S. V. Gangapurwala.

Economy

The gross domestic product of Puducherry, at market prices estimated by the

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is an executive ministry of the Government of India concerned with coverage and quality aspects of statistics released. The surveys conducted by the Ministry are based on scientifi ...

with figures in millions of

Indian rupee The Indian rupee (symbol: ₹; code: INR) is the official currency of India. The rupee is subdivided into 100 '' paise'' (Hindi plural; singular: ''paisa''). The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India. The Reserve ...

s grew from 1,840 to 258,190 million rupees from 1980 to 2014.

Fisheries

The potential for

fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life or, more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a., fishing grounds). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farm ...

is substantial in the Union Territory. The four regions of the Union Territory have a coastline of 45 km with of inshore waters, of inland water and 800 ha of

brackish water Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuary ...

. 27 marine fishing villages and 23 inland fishing villages host a fishermen population of about 65,000 of which 13,000 are actively engaged in fishing. Tanks and ponds are also tapped for commercial fish rearing.

Tourism

Puducherry is one of the most popular tourist spots in India for national and international tourists. Puducherry was the residence of

Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo (born Aurobindo Ghose; 15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950) was an Indian Modern yoga gurus, yogi, maharishi, and Indian nationalist. He also edited the newspaper Bande Mataram (publication), ''Bande Mataram''. Aurobindo st ...

(1872–1950) and the

Sri Aurobindo Ashram The Sri Aurobindo Ashram (French: ''Ashram de Sri Aurobindo'') is a spiritual community (ashram) located in Pondicherry (city), Pondicherry, in the Indian territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It was founded by Sri Aurob ...

still operates from Puducherry. A unique experimental city Auroville, the brainchild of the Mother, whose inhabitants are drawn from all parts of the world is situated on the outskirts of the city. There are several temples, churches, monuments, parks, and mosques which attract tourists. Puducherry Park Monument.JPG,

Aayi Mandapam (monument) Aayi Mandapam, also known as Park Monument (), is a white monument in Puducherry (city), Pondicherry, India, built during the time of Napoleon III, Emperor of France. It is situated in the center of Bharati Park. The monument commemorates the p ...

File:Pondicherry Legislative Assembly.jpg,

Puducherry Legislative Assembly The Puducherry Legislative Assembly (French language, French: ''Assemblée législative de Pondichéry'') is the unicameral legislature of the Indian States and union territories of India, union territory (UT) of Puducherry (union territory), P ...

File:Puducherry Coast.jpg, Puducherry Coast view File:Mahe Boat House.jpg, Mahe riverside File:A camel on the beach in Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, India.jpg, A camel on the beach in Puducherry, India File:Karaikal Church.jpg, Karaikal church File:Puducherry Immaculate Conception Cathedral retouched.jpg, Immaculate Conception Cathedral File:Karaikal main road.JPG, Downtown Karaikal File:Microcarbo niger (Vieillot, 1817) (48917851913).jpg, Oussudu Bird Sanctuary File:Karaikal-Grand Masjid.jpg, Karaikal Periyapalli File:Karaikal Beach JEG2444.JPG, Karaikal Beach

Transportation

Rail

Puducherry is connected by a railway branch line from the five-way junction at

Viluppuram Viluppuram, Villupuram, or Vizhuppuram () is a municipality and the administrative headquarters of Viluppuram district. Located south west of a Tiruvannamalai and north west of Cuddalore null The town serves as a major and largest railway ...

and

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

. The railway line is a

broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , more known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union countries ...

line with 16 originating trains and 17 terminating trains. Meanwhile

Karaikal Karaikal (, , Help:IPA/French, /kaʁikal/) is a port city of the Indian States and territories of India, Union Territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is the administrative headquarters of the Karaikal district, Karaikal Di ...

and Mahe also well connected by railway lines. Several railway lines are also under construction in

Karaikal district Karaikal district ( French: ''District de Karikal'') is one of the four districts of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. Geography Karaikal district occupies an area of . Karaikal is a small coastal enclave of territory which was f ...

. The nearest major railway station to Yanam is

Kakinada Kakinada (; formerly known as Cocanada) is a Port, port city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Situated along the Bay of Bengal, it serves as the headquarters of Kakinada district and is a prominent economic and c ...

(CCT) in Andhra Pradesh (33 KM).

Air

Puducherry has an airport called Puducherry Airport. It has flight operations between Puducherry and Hyderabad. A new airport is proposed in Karaikal which is called as Karaikal Airport. The nearest airport to Yanam is

Rajahmundry Airport Rajahmundry Airport is a domestic airport serving the city of Rajamahendravaram, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located at Madhurapudi, north from the city centre, on National Highway 516E (NH-516E). Before modernisation, it was used by Va ...

(

IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...

: RJA,

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

: VORY), 90 KM away.

Sea

Puducherry U.T. has several ports namely Karaikal port, Puducherry port, Mahe port. Among them, the largest port is

Karaikal Port Karaikal Port Private Limited (KPPL; French: ''Port de Karaikal privé limité'') a private port developed by the Chennai based MARG Limited, became operational in April, 2009. It is located on the Eastern coast of India in Karaikal around 30 ...

.

Road

Puducherry has a network all-weather metalled roads connecting the territory. Puducherry has a road length of 2,552 km (road length per 4.87 km²), the highest in the country. PRTC buses play a vital role in Puducherry U.T.

Education

According to the 2011 census, Puducherry had a literacy rate of 86.55. Pondicherry University is a university centrally located in Puducherry. Other educational institutions include Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (Govt. of Puducherry), Mahathma Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Dental Science (Govt. of Puducherry), Tagore Arts and Science College, Indira Gandhi College of Arts and Science (Govt. of Puducherry), Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, National Institute of Technology, Puducherry, Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Pondicherry Engineering College, Mother Theresa Post Graduate and Research Institute of Health Sciences, Achariya College of Engineering Technology (ACET), Rajiv Gandhi College of Engineering and Technology, Rajiv Gandhi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute, Sri Manakula Vinayagar Engineering College, RAAK college of Engineering and Technology, Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College Hospital, Sri Lakshmi Narayana College of Engineering, and Sri Venkateshwaraa Medical College Hospital and Research Centre.

In popular culture

* Puducherry was the setting for

Yann Martel Yann Martel, (born June 25, 1963) is a Canadian author who wrote the Man Booker Prize–winning novel '' Life of Pi'', an international bestseller published in more than 50 territories. It has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and spe ...

's first third of his

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...

-winning novel '' Life of Pi'' (2001). A portion of the subsequent

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

was filmed there. * Lee Langley's novel ''A House in Pondicherry'' (1996) was set there. * Prince Pondicherry is an Indian character from

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter and a wartime Flying ace, fighter ace. His books have sold more than 300 million copies ...

's children's novel ''

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. The story was origina ...

'' (1964). The prince orders Willy Wonka to build a palace of chocolate in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

; the palace melts in the hot sun.

Tourism

Pondicherry is the capital city of The Union Territory of Puducherry and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in South India. A French colony until 1954, this coastal town retains a number of colonial buildings, churches, statues, and systematic town planning, as well as urban architecture of the local Tamil style. For these reasons, the town has been dubbed "The Europe of India". Due to its coastal influence, this town offers a vast watersport events and water based tourism such as Boathouse, Kayaking, e.t.c. which is similar to the facilities available in

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

. Pichavaram Mangrove Forest Pichavaram which is located near Puducherry consists of a number of islands interspersing a vast expanse of water covered with mangrove forest. The Pichavaram mangrove Forest is one of the largest mangrove forests in India covering about 45 km² of area (as of 2019). It is separated from the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...

by a sand bar. The biotope consists of species like

Avicennia ''Avicennia'' is a genus of flowering plants currently placed in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae. It contains mangrove trees, which occur in the intertidal zones of estuarine areas and are characterized by its "pencil roots", which ar ...

and Rhizophora. It also supports the existence of rare varieties of economically important shells and fishes. Pichavaram-Pno

Tourism in Karaikal

Thirunallar Temple Tirunallar Saniswaran Temple or Dharbaranyeswarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located in a village, Thirunallar of Karaikal district. Tranquebar Danish Fort officially called as

Fort Dansborg Fort Dansborg (), locally called Danish Fort, is a Denmark, Danish fort located in the shores of Bay of Bengal in Tranquebar (Tharangambadi) in the Mayiladuthurai district, Mayiladuthurai District, state of Tamil Nadu. Fort Dansborg was built in ...

is a major tourist attraction which is located at Tranquebar near Karaikal. Tranquebar has a Danish and Dutch Style Architecture Buildings which can only be seen here in the entire world. Due to some historical events that occurred at Tranquebar, the architecture in the area is rare and unique. Colonial House

Antique objects in the Fort Dansborg museum

Nagore Dargah The

dargah A Sufi shrine or dargah ( ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargāh'' दरगाह درگاہ, ''dôrgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or dervi ...

built over the tomb of the

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

saint Nagore Syed Abdul Qadir Shahul Hamid (1490–1579 CE). It is located in Nagore, a coastal town in the

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

n state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. It is located near to Karaikal. Velankanni Church Called as Sanctuary of Our Lady of Velankanni is a famous christian shrine of India located in

Velankanni Velankanni (''Vēḷāṅkaṇṇi''), is a Special Grade Panchayat Town in Nagapattinam district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, 350 km south of Chennai (Madras), 12 km south of ...

. The shrine is dedicated to the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. The devotion has existed since the mid-sixteenth century, and is attributed to three separate miracles believed by devotees to have been worked at the site: the apparition of the

Madonna and Child In Christian art, a Madonna () is a religious depiction of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a singular form or sometimes accompanied by the Child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word ...

to a slumbering shepherd boy, the healing of a handicapped buttermilk vendor and the rescue of Portuguese sailors from a deadly sea storm. Initially, a modest chapel was built by the Portuguese in Goa and Bombay, soon after they washed ashore safely in spite of a severe tempest. An annual

novena A novena (from , "nine") is an ancient tradition of devotional praying in Christianity, consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. The nine days between the Feast of the Ascension and Pentecost, when the ...

is celebrated and draws nearly 5 million pilgrims each year. Velankanni 2

Tourism in Mahe

Mooppenkunnu (Hillock) The Mooppenkunnu is a

Hillock A hillock or knoll is a small hill,The Free Dictionary
"hillock" entry, retrieved December 18, 2007 ...

. It is a Heritage picnic spot situated in Mahé district. The hillock contains the historic Light House and is a famous sunset view point. Walkway Mahe Boat House

The walkway is located on the banks of Mahé River is one of the major tourist attraction of the district. The walkway surrounds around the landscape of the Mahé town. Azhimukham Azhimukham is the estuary of Mahé River and the Arabian Sea. It consists of Tagore Park and a 2 km walkway along the bank of river from the estuary towards Mahé Bridge.

Notes

References

External links

Official website of the Government of the Union Territory of Puducherry

* ttp://tourism.puducherry.gov.in/ Official website of Department of Tourism, Pondicherry
Official website of Pondicherry Media, Pondicherry
* {{Authority control . Union territories of India English-speaking countries and territories French-speaking countries and territories Countries and territories where Tamil is an official language States and territories established in 1963 1963 establishments in India States and union territories of India Enclaves and exclaves

Etymology

History

Geography

Districts

Demographics

Government and administration

Special administration status

Languages

Continuation of French

Inclusion of other languages

Judiciary

Economy

Fisheries

Tourism

Transportation

Rail

Air

Sea

Road

Education

In popular culture

Tourism

Tourism in Karaikal

Tourism in Mahe

See also

Notes

References

External links