Puducherry - A Paradise
Hi friends in this article let me explain about my hometown Puducherry (Previously known as Pondicherry)and let us discuss about its past , present and its future.
Where is Puducherry?
Puducherry is located at 162 Kms(100 miles) south of Chennai, the capital of Talmilnadu and 22 kms north of Cuddalore, the capital of South Arcot District of Tamilnadu. Puducherry is surrounded by Bay of Bengal on East, and on the other sides are the South Arcot District of Tamilnadu.Puducherry is a union territory and it has 4 towns that includes
- Puducherry
- Karaikal(It lies 140 Kms. south of Pondicherry)
- Mahe(Located in Kerala and situated in the Malabar Coast)
- Yanam(Located in adoining East Goadavari District of Andhra Pradesh)
You can see the Location of all the 4 places in the map below
History Of Puducherry
Ancient History
According to the origin of Puducherry,it is known that once Puducherry was known by the name of Vedapuri and sage Agastya used to reside here. French archaeologists believes that Agastya's ashram was in the spot where currently Sri Aurobindo Ashram is currently situated.
History of Puducherry also shows us that, During the time of 100 B.C. and 100 A.D., The Romans and Greeks had Bussiness Relationship(Trade) with pondicherry. This can be proved by the evidence of the ancient port town that has been excavated at Arikamedu, few miles away from Pondicherry.the picture below shows the present Arikamedu
Ancient Rulers of Puducherry
Puducherry was under a part of the Pallava kingdom of Kanchipuram during fourth century AD and it flourished acadamically during this reign as the reference of Sanskrit University can be found in Bahur Plates. The inscriptions of Vedhapuriswara temple imply that the saint Agastya founded his ashram in Pondicherry region.
In the next few centuries , Pondicherry was continued to be under the control of several dynasties of the south.The medieval history of Pondicherry saw the rise and fall of many royal dynasties.
The Pallavas had a good influence on region and were in constant conflict with the Pandyas and the Cholas who in the mean time followed them in reign of the Pondicherry region. In medieval age the Chola dynasty was the first who set up their empire in Pondicherry, i.e In the tenth century A.D. the Cholas of Thanjavur ruled the region for over 300 years.
After the decline of the Chola dynasty the Pandayas came in thirteenth century and ruled till fifteenth century and from the evidence of many coins found it is understood that Puducherry was flourished during the Chola Rule.
An interesting fact about Pondicherry’s medieval period is that it witnessed the rule of Muslim period even for a brief period of time. Socio-economic situation was very much affected due to rise and fall of numerous empires. Till 1638, Pondicherry came under various rulers like the Muslim rulers of the North; the Vijayanagar Empire and then the Sultan of Bijapur came to rule over Gingee.
Modern History
When considering the modern history of Pondicherry the influence of the foreign countries were increased during the early 16th century and Portugese were the first to settle in Puducherry. The reason why Puducherry attracted these countries,was the potential of the site as an access point to the east coast of India. They realised this fact when they had participated and enjoyed in maritime activities. So, Portuguese, Dutch, Danes and English arrived to set up colonies in Pondicherry.
The commerce and the economy of Pondicherry flourished because of the presence of the foreign countries. The 17th century was the beginning of colonial era in India and the French set their foot in Pondicherry when the ruler of Gingee started to have trade relations with them. By 1643 Pondicherry came under French control and remained for quite a long time and it eventually became the chief French settlement in India.
Watching this the Dutch and British trading companies also wanted trade with India. Wars raged between these European countries and spilled over into the Indian subcontinent. The Dutch captured Pondicherry in 1693 but returned it to France by the Treaty of Ryswick in 1699. The French acquired Mahe in the 1720s, Yanam in 1731, and Karaikal in 1738.
But,during the Anglo-French wars (1742-1763), Pondicherry changed hands frequently. On January 16, 1761, the British captured Puducherry from the French, but by the Treaty of Paris (1763) they returned the city to the French. Again it was taken by the British in 1793 amid the Wars of the French Revolution, but once again returned to France in 1814 and they allowed the French to retain their settlements in the country as British gained control of the whole of India in the late 1850s.
During the French rule, the architecture of Pondicherry flourished a lot. Forts and churches that stand in the area are the evidence of this foreign influence. The French Planned and built Puducherry in a way that it was credited to be one of the best planned city in the world.The picture below shows the map ofell planned Puducherry under the French rule.
The conflict to control this place contributed in shaping Pondicherry’s modern history and continued till this place gained independence to be listed in Union territory of India in 1954. After India gained her independence in 1947, an agreement was made between France and India in 1948 agreed to an election in France's Indian possessions to choose their political future. On 1st November 1954, Pondicherry was transferred to India and a treaty of Cessation (together with Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam) was signed on May 28, 1956. In 1962 under the 14th Amendment of the Indian Constitution, It became a Union Territory to be administered by the President of India.
Political history
Edouard Goubert Of the congress was the first Chie Minister OF pondicherry elected in 1963 followed by V. Venkatasubha Reddiar and M.O.H Farook and the congress ruled til 1974. Then in 1974 M.O.H Farook was elected as CM under DMK,s rule followed by AIADMK rule where the CM was Subramanyan Ramaswamy till 1978.
After that Puducherry become Congress Fort as Various CM including V. Vaithilingam, N. Rangaswamy,M. D. R. Ramachandran,P. Shanmugam and Janikaraman of DMK was also Elected once. The Present CM is Mr. V. Vaithilingam of the congress party and Lt Governer is Mr.Iqbal Singh
Heart of Tourism
The majoriy of the income of Pondicherry relies on tourism. The reason why you should visit pondicherry is that you can view Old French style buildings, churches and museums, tree-lined boulevards along the seashore would remind you of a bygone era.The picture below depicts some of the old French buildings.
The Auroville which is near pondicherry is one of the major International tourist Attraction and the image shown below shows the Auroville
The laidback township, pristine beach and the palm trees swaying in breeze bring a slice of serenity and the only sound you can hear is the waves crashing against the rocks and the chirping of the birds,and ot is peaceful.The picture below is that of the French Memorial.
The most important is the Aurobindo Ashram, which is the biggest of all tourist attractions in Pondicherry and because of it, the destination of Pondicherry exudes a spiritual aura. For the weary soul, this is an ideal retreat. Any evening head for the Ashram, meditate, soothe the battered psyche.
Some od the Monumnents includes the French War Memorial, the Aayi Mandapam, a 19th Century Lighthouse, Romain Rolland Library, the Museum are other tourist attractions in Pondicherry. The old Parisian churches would draw you attention due to their architectural beauty.The picture below shows tha ashram and The photo of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo Gosh(The Indian Freedom Fighter).
The puducherry is well know to preserve its history and othe important tourist attraction in puducherry is Aayi Manadapam constructed during the reign of Napoleon III in France and it named after a 16th century courtesan named Aayi, who destroyed her house and erected a water tank in its place. This to assuage a passing king who had mistaken her candle-lit house for a holy place. This water tank served French engineers later to bring water to the town.And opposite to aayi Mandapam in north is the Ra Niwas wherethe Lt. Governer Stays.The picture below is the the Aayi Mandapam whic is situated in Bharathi Park.
Opposite to this Aayi Mandapam in north is the Raj Niwas whis is shown in the image below.
Now let us see the Historical photos and compare with the present places of Pondicherry and also other tourist spots
The picture below shows the old pondicherry port on the left and at present it is replaced by a hotel as the new port is loacted further south from this location
The Picture Below shows the Old Harbor during the 19th century and the right image shows it is replaced by Gandhi Statue
Nehru Street is on of the busiest street in Puducherry and lets view its past and present images
The boat house near Arriyankuppam, 7km south of Pondicherry, called as Chunnambar Boat House is very famous here
Manakula Vinayagar Temple is one of the famous temple presented in Puducherry where 1000 of people visit the temple daily. The Pondicherry Beach is at its best, as it is so clean and beautiful, and it is compared to the beaches of the European countries
General Information about Puducherry
Languages Spoken: Tamil( more that 89 percent) ,French, Telugu, Malayalam . These forur are official Languages and apart from that English is also widely spoken
Population: Nearly 10 lakh
These are some of the tourism Spots i have mentioned and still there are many more and since the economy of Puducherry mainly depends on torism, this is a paradise for tourist as you have the oppurtunity to enjoy every second here.
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