Pondicherry -- the name at once conjures up the image of an enchanting place with golden sea shores, heavenly lagoons, serene promenades, striking boulevards and grand colonial mansions. Pondicherry, now Puducherry, is situated in Southeast India, on the Bay of Bengal, South-Southwest of Chennai. This former French colony of India, aptly called the French Riviera of the East and India's France, is a beautiful Union Territory with a total area of just 480 sq km.
Literally meaning a small hamlet or a village, Puducherry lies in the Coromandel Coast and is the educational hub of the southern India. It consists of four districts –- Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yanam and Mahe. Pondicherry is the biggest district from which the union territory gets its name.
As discussed before, Puducherry shows a remarkable French influence. But the territory reflects a heady mix of English, Danes, Portugese, Dutch, besides Tamil flavors also, as it has been home to these people at one or the other time.
Pondicherry has several attractions that include, among the others, Aurobindo Ashram, Arikamedu Archaeological Excavations, Botanical Garden, Pondicherry Beach, Old Navy Pier, and Auroville. The town of Pondicherry is architecturally beautiful and has separate French and Tamil quarters.
