Pondicherry, now officially named Puducherry (Tamil: புதுச்சேரி Putuccēri, Malayalam: പുതുച്ചേരി Putuccēri, Telugu: పుదుచ్చేరి Puduccēri), is a union territory in Southern India. It consists of four enclaves in three different states, which came under French occupation before they were peacefully handed over to India. Each enclave shares a mixed cultural heritage, combining its South Indian roots with a French colonial past.
Regions
[edit]- Puducherry — a cluster of 11 enclaves in Tamil Nadu, containing the UT capital Pondicherry
- Karaikal — an enclave further south in Tamil Nadu
- Mahe — two enclaves in Kerala
- Yanam — an enclave in Andhra Pradesh
Cities
[edit]
- 1 Pondicherry — capital of the union territory
- 2 Auroville — a popular spiritual and religious site near Pondicherry
- 3 Thirubhuvanai — a village at the outskirts of Pondicherry, home to Chola-era temples
- 4 Karaikal — an enclave further south in Tamil Nadu
- 5 Mahe — two enclaves in Kerala
- 6 Yanam — an enclave in Andhra Pradesh
Understand
[edit]Talk
[edit]As the territory is spread across different parts of Southern India, different enclaves speak different languages. For instance, Tamil in Pondicherry and Karaikal, Malayalam in Mahe and Telugu in Yanam.
Visitor information
[edit]Get around
[edit]By bus
[edit]The Puducherry Road Transport Corporation operates bus services between the four enclaves of Pondicherry, covering the states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.