Pondicherry Profile

The Union Territory of Pondicherry (recently renamed as Puducherry) comprises of 4 coastal regions viz. Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam. The area of Pondicherry is scattered over three different states in the country Pondicherry, the capital of the UT is in Tami Nadu, Karaikal region is embedded in the Nagappattinam and Tiruvarur District of Tamil Nadu, Mahe in the west coast of Kerala and Yanam is in Andhra Pradesh. Pondicherry, the capital of the UT, also a port city, is located 162 kms south of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu and 22 kms north of Cuddalore, the head quarter town of South Arcotdistrict in Tamil Nadu. Pondicherry is surrounded by Bay of Bengal in the east and by South Arcot district of Tamil Nadu from other three sides. The unique spiritual charm of the place is enhanced by the fact that it was the religious home ofthe great revolutionary, poet and Saint Sri Aurobindo and his disciple the Mother.

History
The ancient history of Pondicherry is associated with Saint Agasthya, the revered sage of the south. Excavations near Pondicherry have revealed the existence of a Roman settlement some 2000 years ago. It was also the site of many battles between the British, Dutch and French and was also the capital of French India. Puducherry (or Pondicherry) was a part of the Pallava kingdom of Kanchipuram in the fourth century AD. During the next few centuries Pondicherry was continued to be under the control of several dynasties of the south. In the tenth century A.D. the Cholas of Thanjavur ruled the region for over 300 years but later on it was replaced by the Pandya Kingdom. 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. The 17th century marked the beginning of colonial era in India. The French East India Company set up its trading centre at Puducherry in 1673. This outpost eventually became the chief French settlement in India. 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 capturedPondicherry 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. During the Anglo-French wars (1742-1763), Pondicherry changed hands frequently. On January 16, 1761, the British captured Puducherry from the French, but the Treaty of Paris (1763) returned the city to the French. It was taken again by the British in 1793 amid the Wars of the French Revolution, but once again returned to France in 1814. When the British gained control of the whole of India in the late 1850s, they allowed the French to retain their settlements in the country. Pondicherry, Mahe, Yanam, Karaikal and Chandernagar remained a part of French India until 1954. But after India gained her independence in 1947, an agreement 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. A treaty of Cessation (together with Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam) was signed on May 28, 1956. It became a Union Territory to be administered by the President of India in 1962 under the 14th Amendment of the IndianConstitution. Once a French colony, Pondicherry still today has a few French families living there and French is an important language. The French spirit can be observed in the very layout of the township. The streets, buildings, ornamental gardens, hotels and restaurants, everywhere the French influence still persist prominently.

Location

Geographical LinksT Location Climate Connectivity Distance Chart PIN Codes & Postals

Pondicherry (renamed as Puducherry), a union territory of India is located on the Malabar Coast, at 162 kms south of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. It is surrounded by Bay of Bengal on east and South Arcot district of Tamil Nadu on other three sides. It has an average height of 0 m from mean sea level. The city is protected by a 2 km long seawall, constructed by the French in 1735. This seawall protects the land from direct onslaught of waves by rows of granite boulders and is reinforced every year to stop the erosion.

Climate The climatic condition of Pondicherry varies greatly due to variation in altitude and proximity towards Himalayan ranges. There are two distinct climatic regions: the predominant hilly terrain and the small plain region. The climatic condition of the plains is very similar to its counterpart in the Gangetic plain, i.e tropical. Summers are relatively hot and winters are chilly with temperatures going below 0C. The lowest temperature recorded is -3.0C at Mukteshwar and highest is 43.2C at Pantnagar. Pondicherry comes under Himalayan region with Alpine conditions characterized by cold winters with snowfall for quite a long time, good rainfall in the monsoon, and mild summers. The overall climate of the state is salubrious and it attracts millions of visitors every year to have its natural charm with religious flavour.

By Air: Since Pondicherry does not have an airport of its own, Chennai international airport serves the purpose. It is just 135 kms from Pondicherry and is linked to Europe, Middle East, USA and major cities of India. By Rail: Pondicherry railway station is linked to the nearest junction Villupuram with metre gauge railway line. Villupuram is 36 kms from Pondicherry and is well connected with Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram. You can also have train from Bangalore to reach Cuddalore which is just 22 kms from Pondicherry. For more information on Indian Railways, Click Here By Road: Pondicherry can be well approached by road. National Highway No. 45 connects Pondicherry with Chennai. One can also approach from Bangalore and even from Kerala. You can get buses from Chennai at the Tamil Nadu State Express Bus Stand (also known as the Thiruvalluvur Bus Stand) at Parry's Corner regularly. It takes about four hours to reach Pondicherry bus stand from Chennai.

Distance of important places from Pondicherry (the UT capital)

Distance City in Km 3521 2154 1791 3446 2217 1357 2237 1950 2548 2803 1973 1209 296 2297 1888 2361 795 597 2201 2186 1978 1600 1400 2450 1676 1841 2594 165 494 371 1425 2635 2357 1950 1352 Guntur Gurgaon Guwahati Gwalior Haldia Hasan Hissar Hubli Hyderabad Imphal Indore Jabalpur Jaipur Jaisalmer Jalandhar Jammu Jamnagar Jhamshedpur Jhansi Jodhpur Jorhat Kakinada Kandla Kanniyakumari Kanpur Kochi Kohima Kohlapur Kota Kozhikode Krishnagiri Kurnool Lucknow Ludhiana Madurai Distance City in Km 561 2253 2883 2030 1825 483 2520 701 858 3367 1688 1512 2184 2390 2720 2939 2093 1794 1836 2230 3186 849 2156 578 2153 591 3222 898 1942 557 205 648 2127 2661 324 Nellore Panaji Paradwip Pathankot Patna Porbandar Pune Purulia Raipur Rajkot Rameswaram Ranchi Ranippettai Raurkela Rohtak Sagar Saharanpur Salem Sambalpur Shahjahanpur Shillong Shimla Shivpuri Silchar Siliguri Solapur Srinagar Surat Thane Thanjavur Distance in Km 337 888 1524 2735 2187 2185 1131 1867 1565 2007 435 1956 277 1734 2321 1638 2390 206 1585 2295 2983 2699 1911 3209 2408 885 3232 1493 1273 177

City Agartala Agra Ahmedabad Aizawl Ajmer Akola Aligarh Allahabad Ambala Amritsar Asansol Aurangabad Bangalore Barauni Barddhaman Bareilly Belgaum Bellary Bhagalpur Bhaktiyarpur Bhavnagar Bhopal Bhubaneshwar Bikaner Bilaspur Calcutta Chandigarh Chennai Chittardurga Coimbatore Cuttack DehruDun Delhi Dhanbad Dhule

Thiruvananthapuram 605 Thrissur Tiruchchirappalli Tirunelveli Tirupati 485 196 495 317

Dibrugarh Dimapur Dindigul Durgapur Ganganagar Gangtok Gaya Ghaziabad Ghazipur Gorakhpur Gulbarga

3322 3157 275 2013 2415 2522 2174 2375 2147 2248 959

Mangalore Meerut Moradabad Motihari Mumbai Muzaffarnagar Muzaffarpur Mysore Nagpur Nanded Nashik

643 2262 2324 2353 1284 2313 2401 435 1248 1142 1333

Tuticorin Udaipur Ujjain Ulhasnagar Vadodara Varanasi Vijayawada Vishakhapatnam Warangal

459 2043 1743 1267 1678 1978 593 975 830

PIN Codes and Postals

CITY Pondicherry H.O. Sri Aurobindo Ashram Muthialpet Mudaliarpet Narenderan Dhanvantari Nagar Ariyankuppam Lawspet Thattanchavadi Reddiarpalayam Venkata Nagar Padmini Nagar Saram Pondicherry University Auroville Karaikal Yanam Mahe PIN CODES 605001 605002 605003 605004 605005 605006 605007 605008 605009 605010 605011 605012 605013 605014 605101 609602 533464 673310

Facts and Figures

Date of formation of UT

01.07.1963

Area (including all regions) 480 sq. km Latitude Longitude Capital Regions (4) Total Population (2001) Males Females Population Growth Rate Population Density Sex Ratio Literacy Rate (2001) Per capita income Average Rainfall Temperature Best Time to Visit Climate Time zone Languages spoken Road length (total) between 11 46' and 12 30' North between 79 36' and 79 53' East Pondicherry (or Puducherry) Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe & Yanam 973829 486705 487124 20.56% 2029 per sq. km 1001 females per 1000 males 81.49% Rs 11677 998 mm Min. 31.90C; Max. 24.50C March to October Tropical IST (UTC+5:30) Tamil, English, Malayalam, Telugu, French, Hindi 2251Kms

Politics
Pondicherry has a unicameral legislation i.e. it has only one house. The Pondicherry Govt. & Politics legislative assembly consists of 30 members. The members are elected directly by a Administration popular vote. All major political parties take part in the election and try to form the government for the tenure of five years.

Political Links T

List of Assembly Constituencies

1 2 3

Ariankuppam Bahour Bussy

11 12 13

Mahe Mannadipeth Modeliarpeth

21 22 23

Oupalam Ozhukarai Palloor

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Cassicade Cotchery Embalom Karaikal Karaikal South Kuruvinatham Lawspet

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Muthialpet Neduncadu Nellithope

24 25 26

Raj Bhavan Reddiarpalayam Thattanchavady Thirubuvanai Tirunallar Villenour Yanam

Neravy Grand Aldee 27 Nettapakkam Orleampeth Ossudu 28 29 30

UT Administration Pondicherry (or Puducherry) is a union territory of India, not a separate state, governed directly by the federal authority in New Delhi. Pondicherry is among the two union territories (including Delhi) which have the constitutional amendments to have a legislative assembly and a cabinet of ministers headed by a Chief Minister. The Pondicherry municipal council looks after the civic administration of the city. The UT is represented by a Lt. Governor who resides at Raj Nivas, the former palace of the French Governor. The administrator is appointed by the President of India and is responsible for the general administration of the territory. 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.

Agriculture
Agriculture is one of the most important occupations for the people of Pondicherry. About 45% of the total population of the UT depends directly or indirectly on farming. The main crop of this territory is paddy. The plantation wealth of the UT lies in Mahe region mainly. Crops like coconuts, arcanuts, condiments and spices are grown in less quantity. Pulses, groundnut and chillies are other crops grown in Yanam. The cash crops like Sugarcane, cotton and groundnuts are now grown in various parts of the territory. Most of the areas are irrigated. The major sources of irrigation are tanks and tube wells. Milk production is another source of income for the rural people. It is organized by the co-operative societies located in different villages. Pondicherry is also successful in having a cooperative milk producers society which pasteurizes the milk and distribute in the entire region under the brand name of Ponlait. Fishing is another important occupation for the coastal people as the territory extends a length of 45 km of coastline. There are some 28 sea fishing villages in this region.

Economy
Economical Links T Introduction Industrial Policy

Pondicherry, a union territory of India has been defined as an administrative unit but its economy does not have an autonomous existence owing to its four separate geographical areas viz. Pondicherry and Karaikal in Tamil Nadu, Mahe in Kerala and Yanam in Andhra Pradesh.

The economy of each of these four sub-units is related to its respective state, and has little to do with the rest of the Union Territory as such. The two regions Mahe and Yanam are economically integrated with their respective states Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Even in the case of Pondicherry, the land area is noncontiguous, since there are several enclaves of Pondicherry within Tamil Nadu.

The economy of Pondicherry can be characterized as an open economy with flows of virtually all factors of production including natural resources, labour, capital and technology. Pondicherrys financial flow not only takes place from adjoining states, but also from different parts of the country in various forms for investments, services, etc. There are also flow from outside the country due to both remittances from NRIs and pensions paid by the French Government. The 'openness' of the economy is also reflected in the movement of goods and services both into and out of Pondicherry, particularly to the neighboring states. In the past, the low sales tax rates in the Union Territory led to the diversion of goods to and from Pondicherry. However, the imposition of the uniform floor rates will reduce the possibility of such diversion. The impact of this policy will be felt not only on government finances but may be to some extent on economic activity as a whole in the Union Territory. This union territory is not very rich in mineral resources but has some land under forests. The sea is a major natural resource for the people for fishing which adds to the rural economy. ndustrial scenario The union territory of Pondicherry has limited physical resources viz. land, water, power and raw materials for industrial growth. The environmental conditions are not very favorable for large industrial growth. But the territory has skilled manpower and well trained IT professionals. Hence there is scope for the development of software and IT industries in the region.

Industrial Policy on IT Realizing the fact that the importance of IT is going to increase dramatically in the near future, the government of Pondicherry has thus formulated a comprehensive and investment friendly IT policy in the region to attract investors from outside. The main objectives of the IT policy are depicted below:

     

To provide the common man an easy access to information in all spheres of life. To make the Government machinery Citizen Friendly by facilitating transparency, efficiency and quick decision making in the administration. 2.3 To impart IT training in order to increase IT literacy and creation of trained manpower. To create a healthy investment environment and encourage and accelerate the growth of IT related Industries, with attractive policies. To establish a good Information Communication Infrastructure in the Union Territory of Pondicherry. To create an organizational structure to achieve the above objectives by 2005

For more information on IT policy, Click Here

Areas of industrial growth

     

Information Technology and Software Electronics Agro processing including marine products Textiles including garments Leather products and footwear Light Engineering including Auto components

Cultural Spirit
The culture of Pondicherry (as a UT) is synonymous with the culture and tradition of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh due to the scattering of the regions of the UT in these states.

Cultural Links T Introduction Fairs & Festivals

Fairs and festivals are essential part of Pondicherrys age old culture. Festivals ranging from spiritual to cultural and even gourmet or food are celebrated all through the region with great fervour and enthusiasm. Pondicherrys tradition of art & crafts has been evolved under different colonial era. The creativity is seen among the local people involved in making items related to Miniature Paintings, Batik, Screen printing; producing Incense Sticks, Candles, Greeting Cards, Dinning Mat and Wooden serving mat etc are among other products. Some traditional artisan groups are also involved in making Hammocks, Bags, Garments and Hand knitted woolen garments, etc. International Yoga Festival This festival of Yoga is celebrated in between 4th and 7th in the month of January. Participants from all over the world come to this place to learn the secret of Yoga. The same is illustrated through live shows, talks, Yogic food, dance and music of the Indian culture. The Philosophy and Science lies in Yoga are understood by the western people; hence it is being popularized among them. Pongal This is a festival for the rural people. The Pondicherrian living in villages observe this as a harvest festival which comes in the month of January. More Masimagam This festival is celebrated during full moon in mid-March. During this season 64 deities from in and around Pondicherry are brought to the sea beach for a sanctimonious sea bath. People in huge numbers come to the spot to witness the event. Birth Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo (Darshan Day) This is observed on 15th August, the birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo. On this day devotees from all over the world come to the ashram to pay their homage to the great spiritual sadhak, philosopher and poet. The personal room of Sri Aurobindo is opened on this day for the public. French Food Festival Gourmet, the special food festival of the city is celebrated by the department of tourism, Govt. of Pondicherry. French cuisines are prepared and displayed on this occasion.