Pondicherry Tourism, Pondicherry
About Pondicherry
Located perfectly on the Coromandel shoreline, Pondicherry(formerly called Puducherry), the union territory is a peaceful city known by the names of ‘India’s Little France’ ‘Quintessence of French Culture’, and ‘The French Riviera of the East’. Enriched with its architectural marvel and cultural wealth, Podicherry is a well planned and well built town covering a total land area of 492 Sq. Kms.
There are four districts which comprise this territory namely Pondicherry or Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam and Mahe. Puducherry was under the French rule for nearly about 281 years. The French developed an oval shaped, lovely ‘boulevard town’; the town is divided by a grand canal into two sections- one the Tamil side called as Ville Noire or the black town and the other, a European side which was known as Ville Blanche or the white town. French quality and rich taste reflect in grand colonial mansions, beautiful boulevards, clean and wide streets, spellings on sign boards and buildings, names of roads and public places. The culture of Pondicherry as a Union Territory is a mixture of the culture and tradition of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Pondicherry represents a cosmopolitan form of life that is unique in India. About 55 languages are spoken by the people of Pondicherry.
The natural beauty of Pondicherry lies in its un-spoilt beaches and well laid out parks and gardens. The temples and churches of the city, French colonial heritages, the sprawling premises of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville, the city of Dawn are some of the worth visiting sites in this small port city.