Pondicherry

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Pondicherry

Area: 492 sq km
Capital:Pondicherry
Languages: Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, English and French
Districts: 4
Physiography: The Union Territory of Pondicherry encompasses an area of only 492 sq km with Pondicherry town and its villages covering 293 sq km surrounded by the South Arcot District, Karaikal town and its villages covering 160 sq km
surrounded by Thanjavur District, Mahe and its villages covering 9 sq km
surrounded by the Kerala State, and Yanam covering 30 sq km within the East
Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh. While Pondicherry, the headquarters of the
Union Territory, lies 162 km south of Madras and 22 km north of Cuddalore,
Karaikal is about 150 km south of Pondicherry and Yanam about 840 km north-east of Pondicherry on the Andhra Coast. Mahe lies almost parallel to Pondicherry, 653 km away on the west coast.





The French first established their foothold in Pondicherry in 1673; Karaikal was
obtained from the King of Thanjavur in 1738. Mahe was handed over to the French by the ruler of Badagara in 1721. Yanam came into their possession in 1731.Pondicherry and its surrounding enclaves lie on the drainage basin of the Gingee river. Karaikal located in the fertile Cauvery delta is fed by the waters of
Arasalar (running a distance of 11.97 km in the region), Natter (11.2 km), Vanjiar (9 km), Nular (13.77 km), Puravadaiyaran (5.3 km), Thirumalirayanar (5.13
km) and the Nandalar (15.15 km).River Mahe forms the northern boundary of Mahe town separating it from the enclaves of Kallayi and Naluthara on the north. The Coringar river, which is a branch of Gautamin Godavari river flows through the town of Yanam.

History: Pondicherry entered modern history when the French East India Company established a settlement there in 1673. The French converted this obscure little
village into a flourishing trading centre. The French were the last European
po-wer to come to India for trade. The Dutch and the English had already
established themselves at various centres in India. The Dutch were the first to
cross swords with the French. They captured Pondicherry in 1693 but returned it
to France under the Treaty of Ryswick in 1699. Pondicherry regained its
prosperity in a few years. In 1706 Pondicherry had a population of 40,000 while
the English town of Calcutta had barely 22,000. In the meantime, the French East India Company had run into financial difficulties and the Company was forced to abandon their trading posts in Bantum, Surat and Masulipatnam.

In 1720 the Company was reconstituted as the "Perpetual Company of the Indies" and new Fre-nch establishments sprang up in the East. Mauri-tius was
occupied in 1721, Mahe on the Malabar Coast soon after, Yanam in 1731 and
Karaikal in 1738. With the appointment of Dupleix as Governor of Pondicherry in
1742 France became involved in Indian politics. Dupleix harboured ambitions of
establishing a French Empire in India.When at last British paramountcy was established in India, Pondicherry ceased to be of any political importance and the British let the French continue in their possessions in India. The French Government handed over the Administration of their territories in India to the Government of independent India in November, 1954. The territories thus handed over were constituted into the Union Territory of Pondicherry.

Administration: Pondicherry is administered by the President through a Lt. Governor who is advised by a Council of Ministers which is responsible to the Legislative Assembly, Normally the Council of Ministers under a Chief Minister carries on the administration directly.

Districts
  1. Karaikal .
  2. Mahe
  3. Pondicherry
  4. Yanam
Economy: Nearly 45% of the popula-tion is engaged in agriculture and allied
pursuits. Ninety per cent of the cultivated area is irrigated. The main food crop
is rice. Foodgrain production is 67,067 MT.

There are 23 large and 79 medium scale industries manufacturing items
likeTextiles, Sugar, Cotton Yarn, Spirits and Beer, Potassium Chlorate, Rice Bran
Oil, Auto parts, Soap, Amino Acids, Dispostable Syringes, Red Mud Sheets, Nylon Mono Filaments, Hard Gelating Capsules, Laundering/Washing Machines, Glass and Tin Containers, Bio Polymers, etc.

There are 5,400 small scale industries. All these generate employment opportunities to nearly 50,000 persons. Pondicherry port is expected to handle 3.6 m. tonnes cargo by the year 2000. Total road length is about 3280 km. The nearest main airport is Chennai.The Govt. says Pondicherry will be given full statehood along with Delhi.

Universities:
  • Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, Pin: 605 014.
Tourist Centres: Pondicherry is a living monument of French culture in
India.There are over 14,000 French nationals in Pondicherry.

Places of interest: Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Govt. Museum, Bharathi & Bharathidasan Memorial Museum, Govt. Square, Botanical Garden, French Institute, Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Joan of Arc, Manakula Vinayagar Temple, Ananda Rangapillai Mansion, Auroville and Boat Club at Chunnambar river. Karaikal forms part of the Pondicherry UT, lying as an enclave of Tamil Nadu (130 kms south), has got interesting sites like Arasalar Boat Club, Thirunallar Saneeswar and Karaikal Ammaiyar Temple.Pondicherry is to be renamed
Puducherry.

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