Puducherry -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia

<!doctype html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=Edge"/> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> <meta name="robots" content="noindex" /> <title>Puducherry -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia</title> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/"> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/" > <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/icon?family=Material+Icons"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/mendel-css.css?v=3.130.14" /> <script type="text/javascript"> function init() { setTimeout( function() { window.print(); }, 1000 ); } </script> </head> <body onload="init()" class="md-print-page topicPage topic-print-page"> <div class=""> <div> <h1>Puducherry</h1> <span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><firstImage><asm id="189965" filename="/60/176860-050-689832A2/Puducherry-India-locator-map.jpg" alttext="Puducherry, Puducherry union territory, India"><title>Puducherry, Puducherry union territory, India</title><caption></caption></asm></firstImage></div><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref1007537"></span>Puducherry</strong>, city, capital of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Puducherry</a> union territory, southeastern <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">India</a>. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">city</a> constitutes an enclave surrounded by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tamil Nadu</a> state, on the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Coromandel Coast</a> of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Bay of Bengal</a>, 105 miles (170 km) south of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Chennai</a> (Madras).</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-true" data-assembly-id="200110" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/96/173796-004-9CA3E67B/Beach-Puducherry-coast-India.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="*200110"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/96/173796-004-9CA3E67B/Beach-Puducherry-coast-India.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/96/173796-004-9CA3E67B/Beach-Puducherry-coast-India.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Puducherry, India: beach" data-width="550" data-height="371" loading="eager"></img></source></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/96/173796-004-9CA3E67B/Beach-Puducherry-coast-India.jpg" data-href="*200110">Puducherry, India: beach</a><span>Beach along the coast of Puducherry, Puducherry union territory, India.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">It originated as a French trade centre in 1674, when it was purchased from a local ruler. The colony of <span id="ref242239"></span>Pondicherry (now Puducherry union territory) was the scene of frequent fighting between the French and Dutch in the late 17th century, and it was occupied several times by British troops. However, it remained a French colonial possession until it was transferred to India in 1962.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-true" data-assembly-id="200111" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/92/171192-050-6B7A59D9/Matriamandir-Puducherry-Auroville-India.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="*200111"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/92/171192-050-6B7A59D9/Matriamandir-Puducherry-Auroville-India.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/92/171192-050-6B7A59D9/Matriamandir-Puducherry-Auroville-India.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Auroville, Puducherry union territory, India" data-width="1600" data-height="1200" loading="eager"></img></source></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/92/171192-050-6B7A59D9/Matriamandir-Puducherry-Auroville-India.jpg" data-href="*200111">Auroville, Puducherry union territory, India</a><span>Matriamandir, central structure in Auroville, near Puducherry, Puducherry union territory, India.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Puducherry is now a seaside tourist resort and an administration centre for the union territory. It contains the Pondicherry University (established 1985) and several colleges affiliated with the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">University of Madras</a> in Chennai. The Hindu ashram (religious retreat) of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Shri <span id="ref242238"></span>Aurobindo</a> is in the city, and <span id="ref1230496"></span>Auroville (established 1968), an international township and study centre named for him, is just to the north. Popular film director <a href="https://www.britannica.com/" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">M. Night Shyamalan</a> was born in the city in 1970. Pop. (2001) city, 220,865; urban agglom., 505,959; (2011) city, 244,377; urban agglom., 657,209.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/Kenneth-Pletcher/6746">Kenneth Pletcher</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div style="clear:both"></div> <div class="print-citations"> <div class="text-uppercase font-weight-bold">Citation Information</div> <div> <span class="text-uppercase font-weight-bold">Article Title:</span> Puducherry</div> <div> <span class="text-uppercase font-weight-bold">Website Name:</span> Encyclopaedia Britannica </div> <div> <span class="text-uppercase font-weight-bold">Publisher:</span> Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. </div> <div> <span class="text-uppercase font-weight-bold">Date Published:</span> 16 June 2023</div> <div> <span class="text-uppercase font-weight-bold">URL:</span> <a href="https://www.britannica.comhttps://www.britannica.com/place/Puducherry-India">https://www.britannica.comhttps://www.britannica.com/place/Puducherry-India</a> </div> <div> <span class="text-uppercase font-weight-bold">Access Date:</span> November 24, 2024</div> </div></div> </body> </html>

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Puducherry -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia