About Pondicherry
The coastal union territory Pondicherry lies on the Coromandel Coast where the balmy breeze gently swishes across the palm fronds. To know more about Pondicherry, we have to flick through the musty pages of history books which testify Pondicherry's past as a former French colony.
Pondicherry's claim to fame rests in Mahe, Yanaon and Karikal, an integral part of its geographic dominion. The union territory is also famed to be a noted seaport that recounts several heroic maritime sagas. The union territory, an erstwhile French settlement for over 300 years lies approximately 160 south of the urban metropolis of Chennai. In fact even today visitors can catch occasional snatches of the French culture, prevalent in certain regions.
The sea facing district is bound by the Bay of Bengal in the east while Tamil Nadu's South Arcot District forms the rest of the geographic boundary. The puny union territory encompasses an area of 492 sq. km and extends across the latitudinal parallel of 11°83' North and the longitudinal meridian of 79°83' East.
There are a multitude of options for reaching Pondicherry. Regular buses carrying bus load of tourists ply to and from the city. Located a mere three and a half hours away from Chennai, visitors often drive down to the sun kissed paradise. Although infrequent, occasional trains also travel through the union territory.
Some of the famous spots in puduchery are given below:
Arikamedhu
It is an archaeological site at a distance of 20 kms from the Pondicherry town. Recent excavations here have revealed some Roman coins, wine jars and other remains, which prove that Arikamedhu was the earliest Indo - Roman trading centre.
Auroville
The city of Dawn as it is also called was established in 1968. People from many parts of the world have settled down here making it a microcosmic replica of the world - a number of different communities living in harmony. There are about 40 settlements in Auroville.
Bharati Museum
The house of the famous poet Subramaniya Bharati at Easwaran Dharmaja Koil Street has been made into a museum.
Bharatidasan Museum
Another poet Kanaksubburatnam wrote under the name of Bharatidasan, he scaled the same heights in poetry as Bharati had done. His house at Perumal Koil Street has also been made into a museum.
Boat House
The boathouse is on the bank of river Chunnambar at a distance of 8 Kms from Pondicherry.
Botanical Garden
The garden was laid out in the year 1826. Many plants were brought here from the different parts of the country and also places like Ceylon and Reumian.
Eglise De Sacre Coeur De Jesus
A church dedicated to the sacred heart of Jesus with beautiful stained glass windows depicting scenes from life of Jesus Christ.
Government Square
The Governor's Square encloses a beautiful garden which has a monument Aayi Mandapam at its centre. There are some carved monolithic pillars, which were brought to Pondicherry from Gingee in 1751.
Here are many artifacts that belong to the bygone era of Pondicherry. The relics of the Chola, Pallava and the Vijaynagar periods trace the history of this place.
Promenade
An ideal place for a stroll, the Promenade is a 1.5Km long walk built along the beach. On the beachfront, there are statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Jeanne d'Arc and Dupleix, a war memorial, the Heritage building and an old lighthouse that is 27 metres tall.
Raj Niwas
This palatial building is completely French in style and was the residence of Joseph Francois Dupleix. It is now the residence of the Lieutenant-Governor of Pondicherry.
Shri Aurobindo Ashram
Shri Aurobindo, a famous poet established the Ashram in 1920. The Samadhi in the Ashram premises is the final resting place of Sri Aurobindo and the mother. The Ashram has become a centre for the practice of Yoga and a place of learning. The ashram activities include agriculture, industries, art and culture.
Thiruvakkarai
Thiruvakkarai or Tiruvakkarai is at a distance of 30 kms from the Pondicherry town. The first Wood-Fossil Park of the country is situated here. The Chandramouliswara Temple is another tourist destination in this place.
Pondicherry Beach
Pondicherry has a beautiful unpolluted beach that is 1.5km long.
The other places of tourist interest in Pondicherry are: -
- French Institute
- Jawahar Toy Museum
- Manakula Vinayanagar
- Mansion Anandha
- Mailam Murugan Temple
- Mandagupettu
- Ousteri Lake
Tourist Information Bureau,
Goubert Avenue, (Beach Road),
Pondicherry, India
Ph: +91-413-34575
Inspite of its diminutive size,Pondicherry attracts a large percentage of tourists visiting India. The unique spiritual charm of the place in enhanced by the fact that it was a home to the great poet Sri Aurobindo and the Mother (whose real name was Mirra Alfassa and she was born in Paris. An accomplished pianist and a painter, she became a follower of Shri Aurobindo and later came to be known as the Mother). The Auroville, with its multinational, multilingual and multicultural population is the realized dream of both these visionaries, to build a universal society living in complete harmony. Pondicherry is at present, a union territory with its area scattered over three different states in the country. The capital of the union territory of Pondicherry is also known as 'Pondicherry' and is situated on the Coromandel Coast on the Bay of Bengal, at a distance of 162 Kms from Chennai. Karaikal is another part of Pondicherry, which is also situated in the state of Tamil Nadu. The other two parts are Yanam in Andhra Pradesh and Mahe located on the southern side of river Mahe in the westcoast of Kerala.
Once a French colony, Pondicherry still has a few French families living there and French is an important language. The French spirit can be discerned in the very layout of the township. The magnificent statues of Joseph Francois Dupleix and Joan of Arc, the warrior saint of France tell of a significant French influence on the history of the place. The French Institute of Indology and Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient are the living legacies of the former French occupation of the territory.
Languages
Languages spoken in Pondicherry are Tamil, Telugu, Malayam, Hindi, French and English.
Climate
The state enjoys a tropical climate, it is usually hot and humid and the monsoon lasts from October to December.
| Religion | Hindu, Christian, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam. |
| Capital | Pondicherry |
| Time Zone | GMT +5.30 hrs |
| Area Codes | |
| Pondicherry | 0413 |
| Karaikal | 4368 |
| Mahe | 497 |
| Yanam | 884 |
Important Festivals
International Yoga Festival (January)
Sani Peyarchi Festival (Once in every three years)
Panguni Uthiram Festival (March - April)
Veeerampattinam Festival
Masi Magan
Pongal
| Statistics |
| Area | |
| Total | 492 sq.km |
| Pondicherry | 293 sq.km |
| Karaikal | 160 sq.km |
| Mahe | 9 sq.km |
| Yanam | 30 sq.km |
| Population | |
| Total | 9,12,000 |
| Males | 408081 |
| Females | 399704 (Census 1991) |
| Literacy Rate | 90% |
| Road length (total) | 2251Kms |
| Total No. of motor Vehicles | 1,41329 (1995-96) |
| No. of telephone lines | 39339 |
| No. of telephone exchanges | 16 |
| Per Capita electricity consumption | 161KWH |
| Economy | |
| Net State Domestic Product | 26185 lakhs (1996) |
| Per capita income | Rs 11677 |
| Per capita investment in | Rs 8311 (1995-96) |
Routes to Pondicherry
By Air : There is an International Airport at Chennai and a Domestic Airport at Pondicherry.
By Rail : Railway connects Pondicherry to Chennai.
Phone No of the railway station +91-413-336684
By Road : Pondicherry is connected to the major towns and cities of different states by good roads. There are Interstate bus services from Chennai to Pondicherry. Private buses are available for tours.
Ports : Accessible to major ports like Chennai, Tuticorin, Cochin and Vishakapatnam.
INDUSTRIAL PROFILE
Tourism and fisheries are the obvious industries of Pondicherry but other specialized industries in the area have also been developed. The emergence of these industries has strengthened the industrial infrastructure of the place, which in turn assists and promotes further industrial development and progress.
Industrial Infrastructure
Pondicherry Industrial Promotion Development and Investment Corporation
Industrial Estates
Thattanchavady
Kattukupam (the rural industrial estate)
Mettupalayam
Sederapet
Kirumampakkam
Resources
| Bank | |
| Total no of branches | 96 |
| Power | |
| Power availability | 225 MN |
| Power generated | 32.50 MW |
| Industries | large scale | Total |
| Food Products | 3 | 798 |
| Cotton Products | 7 | 730 |
| Wood Products | --- | 413 |
| Paper Products | 3 | 337 |
| Leather, Rubber and Plastics | 4 | 516 |
| Chemicals and Chemical products | 11 | 1410 |
| Non metallic Mineral Products | 4 | 246 |
| Metal products | 2 | 723 |
| Machinery products | 2 | 440 |
| Miscellaneous products | --- | 172 |
| Repairing and servicing | --- | 236 |
| Total | 6162 |
Upcoming Industrial Areas
- Electronic Industrial Estate is coming up at Thiruvanai, at a distance of 20 Kms from Pondicherry.
- Software Technology Park (in association with the Software Technology Park, Bangalore) is coming up at Kalapet, Pondicherry.
- Export Processing Zone is being established in Sedarapet, Pondicherry.
- A Growth Centre is being developed in Polagam, Karaikal
- Integrated Infrastructural Development Centre is being developed in Sedarapet, Pondicherry.
- Information Technology and Software
- Electronics
- Agro processing including marine products
- Textiles including garments
- Leather products and footwear
- Light Engineering including Auto components
The union territory has hotels of star and non star category catering to the needs of the tourists visiting pondicherry. Besides it has resorts, restaurants and cafes which cater to the needs of all segment of travelers. Catch more info on Pondicherry Hotels
Pondicherry city is the capital of the Union Territory of Pondicherry. It is located on the East Coast in Southern India, near the Bay of Bengal and surrounded by Tamil Nadu state on three sides. The Bay of Bengal forms the eastern coast-line of the city. Pondicherry city is about 162 kilometers from Chennai the capital of Tamil Nadu. It is also the headquarters of the Pondicherry administrative pocket. In 2006 the official name of Pondicherry was changed to Puducherry.
Puducherry is connected with National Highway no 45A which connects it to Cuddadore and Chennai in Tamil Nadu and National Highway no 66 which starts from the city and connects it to Tindivanam and then to Bengaluru in Karnataka. It is also connected by Southern Railway line.
The city with a popularlar nickname 'Pondy' is a former French colony established in 1673 as a French trading post, and was the capital of the French territory in India. Puducherry has been home to some famous spiritual persons of India such as Shri Aurobindo Ghosh, the Mother, and the Tamil poet Subramanya Bharathi.
The main languages spoken here are English, French, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Puducherry has a coastal climate with temperature ranging from 41° c in summer to 30° C in winter. The city experiences heavy monsoon rains from October to December but the weather is humid throughout the year.
The city is home to a number of educational institutes and cultural organizations. Some of these are the Alliance Francais, The French Institute, and the Ecole Francais d'Extreme Orient.
Landmarks in Pondicherry city
- Promenade on the beach. This 1.5 kilometer long promenade runs along the beach and is a prominent tourist spot of the city.
- Aurobindo Ashram is one of the most popular spiritual destinations in Pondicherry. The Ashram built in 1926, by Shri Aurobindo Ghosh, is located on the rue de la marine.
- Varadaraja temple is the oldest temple in town
- Kamatchiamman Temple is dedicated to Godess Durga.
- Church of Our lady of Angels (also called the Notre dame des Anges) is built in the Greek Roman architectural style.
- Church of Sacred Heart of Jesus is the city's finest Catholic Church.
- The Puducherry Museum
- The Bharathi Museum is the former home of the Tamil poet Subramanya Bharathi.
Last Updated on 02 April 2013
