The Puducherry aka Pondicherry tourism board’s ubiquitous advertising campaign seems to be working. In 2019, 1.6 million domestic and international tourists visited this Union territory for rest and recreation First Goa did it. Next Kerala. Now the tiny Union territory of Puducherry (pop. 1.5 million) seems determined to impact its sun-sand-n-sea assets combined with its unique French heritage (Pondicherry was a France-governed enclave within independent India until 1954) upon domestic and transnational fun-seekers as an ideal get-away-from-it-all tourism destination. In 2019, 1.6 million tourists visited the Union territory for rest and recreation — an impressive inflow for a territory whose total population is just over a million. Actually the Union territory of Puducherry incorporates Puducherry and Karaikal in Tamil Nadu, Yanam in Andhra Pradesh and Mahe in Kerala. Indisputably the territory’s capital, Puducherry, 162 km south by road from Chennai overlooking the Bay of Bengal, offers a unique Francophone ambience not found anywhere else in India. Often described as the French Riviera of the east, Puducherry is a well-planned town — neatly laid roads with grid like streets aligned at right angles, sprawling white sand beaches, beautiful promenades, splendid churches, stately public buildings and statues of Joan of Arc and Joseph Francois Dupleix (the governor of the French colonies in India from 1742-54). Indeed, Pondicherry’s Gallic charm is ubiquitous with roads and squares bearing quaint French names, policemen sporting kepis and restaurants serving French cuisine. The history of Pondicherry dates back to the Roman era. Excavations at Arikamedu, 6 km from the town, have uncovered remains of a Roman settlement dating between 250 B.C. and 200 A.D. In circa 400 A.D Pondicherry was absorbed into the Pallava kingdom of Kanchipuram. Subsequently, the Cholas of Tanjavur conquered it in over in 1000 A.D and the Pandyas in the 13th century. After a brief period under the Vijayanagar Empire during the late 15th century, Pondicherry attracted the attention of the European maritime powers — first the Portuguese, then the Danes, followed by the Dutch and English and later the French who captured it in 1673. In 1674 Francois Martin, the first French governor transformed Pondicherry from a small fishing village into a flourishing port town. By the 18th century, Pondicherry was a large and prosperous town thanks to the efforts of able governors like Lenoir, Dumas and Dupleix. But their ambitions clashed with the interests of the British and other local kingdoms of India resulting in skirmishes and political disturbances which continued for a long period. After several fierce Anglo-French battles, sieges and peace treaties, the French acquired permanent control of Pondicherry in 1816 and continued to rule the territory for the next 138 years until 1954, when it was ceded to independent India. Pondicherry The diverse cultural influences which characterise Pondicherry are manifested in its splendid architecture and pleasing streetscapes. Its French legacy is reflected in majestic colonial buildings with French windows and long compound walls. Today people of diverse languages live together in harmony in urban Pondicherry. Not surprisingly,…
