(Redirected from Pondicherry)
'Puducherry' (formerly ) 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 changed its official name from 'Pondicherry' to the vernacular original,
[1] 'Puducherry', which means "New village"
[2] in the
Tamil language. The territory is called பà¯à®¤à¯à®šà¯à®šà¯‡à®°à®¿ ('') or பாணà¯à®Ÿà®¿à®šà¯à®šà¯‡à®°à®¿ ('') in Tamil,, or "Pondichéry" in French. It is also known as 'The French Riviera of the East' (''La Côte d'Azur de l'Est'').
Geography
Pondicherry consists of four small unconnected districts:
Pondicherry,
Karaikal, and
Yanam on the
Bay of Bengal and
Mahé on the
Arabian Sea. Puducherry 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
The
History of Pondicherry can be traced back to
2 AD. The
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, of the early 2 AD, mentions a marketplace named Poduke (ch. 60), which G.W.B. Huntingford identified as possibly being
Arikamedu (now part of
Ariyankuppam), about 2 miles from the modern Pondicherry. Huntingford further notes that Roman pottery was found at Arikamedu in 1937, and
archeological 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 AD".
[3]
French influence
A remarkable degree of French influence in Puducherry exists to this date. Puducherry was designed based on the French 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 (
Tamil) 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 the existing house in the town area and rebuild, they need the permission from this organization and the new built house should resemble the same architectural beauty it possessed before destruction. The use of French language can be still seen in Pondicherry.
Puducherry still has a large number of Tamil and a small number of non-Tamil residents with French passports, these are descendants of those who chose to remain French when the then ruling French Establishment presented the people of Puducherry with an option to either remain French or become Indians at the time of Puducherry's Independence. Apart from the monuments pertaining to the French period, there is the French Consulate in Puducherry and several cultural organisations. Another important one is '
Le Foyer du Soldat'. It is a Legion hall for soldiers who served in the different French wars.
Of the cultural organisations the
French Institute of Pondicherry, the Pondicherry Centre of the
École française d'Extrême-Orient and a branch of the
Alliance Française are noteworthy. A
French-medium school system, the
Lycée Français de Pondichéry, continues to operate under the aegis of the French
Minister of National Education (France).
Images from the 'French Town'
Official languages of Government
Map of Puducherry Region, Union Territory of Puducherry, India
Official languages of Puducherry are '
French', '
Tamil',
Telugu and
Malayalam.
Status of each languages varies differently with respect to each district. When communicating between districts of different languages, generally
English is used for convenience.
1.'
Tamil': Language used by the Puducherry Government, especially used when communicating within and between the Tamil majority districts of (
Puducherry and
Karikal) along with issuing official decrees. Also the official Language in
Tamil Nadu state.
2.'
French': It is also the official language of Puducherry Union territory. It was the
official language of
French India (
1673-
1954) and its official language status was preserved by '
Traité de Cession' (Treaty of Cession) signed by India and France on
28 May 1956.
It remained as the
de jure official language of Puducherry U.T by the ' ''Article XXVIII'' of Traité de Cession' which states that,
★ ''Le français restera langue officielle des Établissements aussi longtemps que les répresentants élus de la population n'auront pas pris une décision différente'' (French version)
★ ''The French language shall remain the official language of the Establishments so long as the elected representatives of the people shall not decide otherwise'' (English version)
Regional official languages
3.'
Telugu': It is also an official language of Puducherry but used only when communicating within Telugu district (
Yanam). So, more correctly it is considered as regional official language of Puducherry while being official language of Yanam District. It is also has official language status in
Andhra Pradesh State.
4.'
Malayalam': It is also an official language of Puducherry but used only when communicating within Malayalam district (
Mahe). So, more correctly it is considered as regional official language of Puducherry while being official language of Mahe District. It also has an official language status in
Kerala State and
Lakshadweep Islands Union Territory.
Language spoken in numbers
As of 2001, number of people speaking in each official languages are,
★ '
Tamil': 220,749 (In Puducherry and Karikal Districts)
★ '
Telugu': 31,362 (In Yanam District only)
★ '
Malayalam': 36,823 (In Mahe District only)
★ '
French': Above 10,000
Government & administration
Pondicherry Legislative Assembly
,
Pondicherry Municipal Council
Pondicherry is a
Union Territory of India, not a separate State, which implies that the governance and administration of the territory falls directly under the federal authority in
New Delhi. However, along with
Delhi, Pondicherry is one of the two union territories in India, which is entitled by special constitutional amendments to have an elected
legislative assembly and a cabinet of ministers, thereby enjoying partial statehood powers. Under the special provision, the government is permitted to make laws with respect to specific matters. In many cases, such legislations may require the ratification from the federal government or the assent of the
President of India.
The Centre is represented by the
Lt. Governor, 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 financial well-being of the territory, as against the states where financial administration, given a budgeted central grant is the responsibility to the state governments. Consequently, Pondicherry has at various times, enjoyed lower taxes, especially in the
indirect category.
Special Administration Status
According to 'Traité de cession' dated 1956, the
four former French colonies were assured of maintaining their special administrative status. That is why Pondicherry is the only Union Territory with some special provisions like Legislative Assembly,
French as official language, etc.
The 'Article II' of 'Traité de Cession' states that,
★ '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.'
Pondicherry's special position in Indian Spiritual Philosophy
Pondicherry was the residence of one of India's most renowned Freedom Fighter and Spiritualist,
Sri Aurobindo. The world-famous Sri Aurobindo Ashram and its offshoot,
Auroville still operate from Pondicherry.
Pondicherry in literature
★ Pondicherry was the setting for the first third of the Booker prize-winning novel ''
Life of Pi'' by
Yann Martel.
★ [Lee Langley] [A house in Pondicherry]
★ In
Roald Dahl's
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Prince Pondicherry has
Willy Wonka build him a castle made entirely of
chocolate, which quickly melts.
★ In The second
Sherlock Holmes novel, "
A Sign of Four" by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the family of a murder victim resides at Pondicherry Lodge.
Economy
Macro-economic trend
This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Puducherry at market prices
estimated by ''Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation'' with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.
| Year | Gross State Domestic Product |
|---|
| 1980 | 1,840 |
| 1985 | 3,420 |
| 1990 | 6,030 |
| 1995 | 13,200 |
| 2000 | 37,810 |
Puducherry's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $2 billion in current prices.
Road Network
Puducherry is endowed with excellent infrastructural facilities on par with the best available in the country. A network of all weather metalled roads connecting every village exists in the territory. Puducherry has a road length of 2552 km (road length per 4.87 km²), the highest in the country.
''Road length comparsion with Tamilnadu and India as a whole.''
| ROADS |
|---|
| Total Road Length (in Puducherry) | 2552 km. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Road Length per 1000 km². | Puducherry | Tamil Nadu | India |
|---|
| 4575 | 1572 | 663 |
Classification of Roads
| Sl. No. | Type of Road | Length in(km) |
|---|
| 1 | National Highways | 64.450 |
| 2 | State Highways | 49.304 |
| 3 | District & Other Roads | |
| | Puducherry - 173.384 | |
| | Karaikal - 55.162 | |
| | Mahe - 19.622 | |
| | Yanam - 26.460 | |
| | 274.628 | 274.628 |
| 4 | Rural Roads | |
| Puducherry - 164.964 | |
| | Karaikal - 83.470 | |
| | 248.434 | 248.434 |
| | Grand Total | '636.816' |
See also
★
Road Network in Puducherry District
★
Road Network in Karaikal District
★
Road Network in Yanam District
★
Road Network in Mahe District
★
Causes for Liberation of French colonies in India
★
Municipal Administration in French India
★
List of Chief Ministers of Pondicherry
★
Pondicherry (Lok Sabha constituency)
★
Pondicherry Municipal Council
★
French East India Company
★
Coup d'État de Yanaon
★
French colonial empire
★
French India
★
Life of Pi
★
JIPMER
★
Pondicherry Engineering College
★
Auroville
★
Ariyankuppam
External links
★
Veerampattinam Car Festival, August 2007
★
PEACEFUL PONDICHERRY
★
Pondicherry
★
Future of French India, by Russel H. Fifield (Associate Professor of Political Science at University of Michigan
★
Official website of the Government of the Union Territory of Pondicherry
★
Pudhucherry Flower Show 2007
★
Two youngsters from Pondicherry on World Tour for Global Peace
★
Bharath English High School, Ariyankuppam, Pondicherry
★
Pachaivazhiamman Koil, Ariyankuppam
★
Temples in and around the Pondicherry
★
Temples in Kizhur, a Historical Village in the Pondicherry Freedom Struggle
★
Pondicherry and its Photos
★
About Pondicherry History
★
Pondicherry - its Early Origins
★
Freedom struggle in Pondicherry
★
Indian Ministry for External Affaires - 1956 Treaty of Cession
★
India visa information
★
Amazing pictures of Pondicherry ★
Poduke or Arikamedu the most ancient Tamil city
★
Arikamedu is the ancient International Trade Centre in Ariyankuppam, Pondicherry
★
Exploration Off Arikamedu by Archaeological Survey of India
★
Arikamedu Archaeological Site in India - A Brief Note by Discover India Site
★
Excavations at Arikamedu
★
A Complete Guide to Pondicherry
★
Pondicherry Flowers
★
Karaikal Struggle Group (KSG)
★
Tamil Online Radio's
References
1. Bill to rename Pondicherry as Puducherry passed .
2. BBC: "New name for old French territory" .
3. ''The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'', transl. G.W.B. Huntingford (Hakluyt Society, 1980), p. 119.
العربية
ä¸å›½
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिनà¥à¤¦à¥€
Italiano
日本語
Português
РуÑÑкий
Español
