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((redirect|PDY|the Turkish designated terrorist organization|Gülen movement))
((About|the city|the [[union territory]]|Puducherry (union territory)|other uses|Puducherry (disambiguation)))
((more citations needed|date=January 2017))
((Use dmy dates|date=February 2024))
((Use Indian English|date=February 2019))
((Infobox settlement
| other_name         = ((native name|fr|Pondichéry))
| name               = Pondicherry
| official_name      = Puducherry
| settlement_type    = City
| blank_emblem_type  = Seal of Puducherry Municipality
| blank_emblem_size  = 200px
| blank_emblem_alt   = 
| image_blank_emblem = Pondicherry Municipal Council logo.png
| image_skyline      = ((multiple image
| border             = infobox
| total_width        = 300
| image_style        =
| perrow             = 1/2/2/3/1
| caption_align      = center
| image1             = Pondicherry-Rock beach aerial view.jpg
| caption1           = [[Promenade Beach]]
| image2             = Manakula Vinayagar Temple 2K22TNKAN (1).jpg
| caption2           = [[Manakula Vinayagar Temple]]
| image3             = Aurobindo Ashram Pondichery - Outside view.jpg
| caption3           = [[Sri Aurobindo Ashram]]
| image4             = The Matrimandir in Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India.jpg
| caption4           = The [[Matrimandir]] in Auroville
| image5             = Aayi mandapam pondicherry.jpg
| caption5           = [[Aayi Mandapam (monument)|Aayi Mandapam]] monument at Bharati Park
| image6             = Pondicherry Lighthouse.jpg
| caption6           = [[Pondicherry Lighthouse]]
| image7             = Puducherry Sacred Heart Cathedral 2.JPG
| caption7           = [[Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pondicherry|Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus]]
| image8             = PondicherryFrenchWarMemorial.jpg
| caption8           = [[French War Memorial (Puducherry)|French War Memorial]] built after [[World War I]]
| image9             = Pondicherry GandhiStatue.jpg
| caption9           = Mahamata Gandhi Statue along the Beach Road
))
| image_alt          = 
| nickname           = ((hlist|"[[Paris]] of the East"|"Pondy"|"The City of Dawn"|"[[French Riviera]] of the East"))
| image_map          = 
| map_alt            = 
| map_caption        = 
| pushpin_map        = India Pondicherry#India
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_map_alt    = 
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| coordinates        = ((coord|11|55|N|79|49|E|display=inline,title))
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = India
| subdivision_type1  = [[States and union territories of India|Union territory]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] (PY)
| subdivision_name2  = [[Pondicherry district|Puducherry]]
| established_title  = Established
| established_date   = 1674
| founder            = 
| named_for          = 
| government_type    = [[Municipal governance in India|Municipal Council]]
| governing_body     = [[Pondicherry Municipal Council]] (PDY)
| unit_pref          = Metric
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="dchb"/>
| area_total_km2     = 19.54
| area_rank          = 
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 3
| population_total   = 244,377
| population_as_of   = 2011
| population_footnotes = 
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_metro   = 
| population_metro_footnotes = 
| population_rank    = 
| population_demonym = Puducherrian, Pondicherrian, Pondian, Pondichérien, Pondichérienne
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_title2 = Additional
| timezone1          = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1        = +5:30
| postal_code_type   = [[Postal Index Number|PIN CODE]]
| postal_code        = 605001-605014
| area_code          = (International) +91-413-, (National) 0413-
| area_code_type     = Telephone code
| registration_plate = '''PY-01''' to '''PY-05'''
| website            = https://www.py.gov.in/
| footnotes          = 
| demographics1_info1 = [[Tamil language|Tamil]], English
| demographics1_info2 = French
))

'''Pondicherry''' (((IPAc-en|ˌ|p|ɒ|n|d|ᵻ|ˈ|tʃ|ɛr|i)) ((respell|PON|dih|CHERR|ee))) is the [[Capital city|capital]] and most populous city of the [[Puducherry (union territory)|Union Territory of Puducherry]] in India. The city is in the [[Puducherry district]] on the southeast coast of India and is surrounded by the [[Bay of Bengal]] to the east and the state of [[Tamil Nadu]], with which it shares most of its culture, heritage, and language.<ref>((Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/bill-to-rename-pondicherry-as-puducherry-passed/article3093958.ece|title=Bill to rename Pondicherry as Puducherry passed|date=22 August 2006|work=The Hindu|access-date=2 May 2016))</ref>

==History==
((Main|History of Puducherry))
((More citations needed|section|date=February 2023))
[[File:Pondicherry waterfront 1900.jpg|thumb|left|Pondicherry waterfront, ((Circa|1900))]]

Puducherry, formerly known as Pondicherry, gained its significance as "the French Riviera of the East" after the advent of French colonialisation in India. Puducherry is the Tamil interpretation of "new town" and mainly derives from "Poduke", the name of the marketplace or "port town" for Roman trade in the 1st century, as mentioned in the ''[[Periplus of the Erythraean Sea]]''. The settlement was once an abode of learned scholars versed in the [[Vedas]], hence it was also known as Vedapuri.<ref>((Cite web|url=http://pondicherrysmartcity.in/history-pondicherry.php|title=History Of Puducherry – Smart City Puducherry – The Union Territory of Puducherry|website=pondicherrysmartcity.in))</ref>

The history of Puducherry can broadly be classified into two periods: pre-colonial and colonial. The pre-colonial period started with the reign of the [[Pallava dynasty|Pallavas]], who ruled the empire from 325 to 900, after which came the [[Chola dynasty]], from 900 to 1279, and the [[Pandya dynasty]], from 1279 to 1370. During the 14th century, the city was under the rule of Naikship of Gingee of the [[Vijayanagara Empire]], from 1370 to 1614,  when it was conquered by the [[Adil Shahi dynasty|Sultan of Bijapur]], who ruled it from 1614 to 1638. It was during this period that Portuguese and Danish merchants used it as a trading center.

The colonial period began with the Portuguese, the first Europeans to conduct trade in textiles, in 1521, and subsequently, the Dutch and the Danes in the 17th century.

The prospering trade of Puducherry attracted the French, and the predominant feature of the town was laid by the French pioneer [[François Martin (Pondicherry)|Francois Martin]] in the form of a French settlement, in 1674. In 1693, Puducherry was captured by the Dutch and subsequently restored in 1699, with the [[Peace of Ryswick|Treaty of Ryswick]].

The French acquired [[Mahé, India|Mahé]] in 1720, [[Yanam]] in 1731, and [[Karaikal]] in 1738. The British captured the city from the French but returned it following the Treaty of Paris, in 1763. This Anglo-French war continued until 1814, where France found itself in control of the settlements of [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]], Mahé, Yanam, Karaikal, and [[Chandannagar|Chandernagor]], even during the British period, until 1954. It was a reign of 138 years under the French, who on 31 October 1954 left Indian shores following a de facto transfer of power.

Nearby places such as [[Arikamedu]], [[Ariyankuppam]], Kakayanthoppe, [[Villianur]], and Bahour, which were colonised by the [[French East India Company]] over a period of time and later became the [[union territory]] of Pondicherry, have recorded histories that predate the colonial period.

''Poduke'' or ''Poduca'' (marketplace) was a Roman trading destination from the third century BCE.<ref>((Cite book|last=Francis|first=Peter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zzZBdGQN_TIC&pg=PA30|title=Asia's Maritime Bead Trade: 300 B.C. to the Present|date=2002|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=978-0-8248-2332-0))</ref> ''Poduca'' has been identified as possibly being [[Arikamedu]] (now part of Ariyankuppam), located about ((Convert|2|mi|km)) from the modern city of Pondicherry. The area was part of the Pallava Kingdom of [[Kanchipuram]] in the 4th century. The Cholas of [[Thanjavur]] held it from the 10th to the 13th centuries, until it was replaced by the [[Pandyan Dynasty|Pandya]] Kingdom, in the 13th century. The [[Vijayanagara Empire|Vijayanagar]] Empire took control of almost all of southern India in the 14th century and maintained control until 1638, when they were supplanted by the [[Adil Shahi dynasty|Sultan of Bijapur]].

In 1674, the French East India Company set up a trading centre at Pondicherry, and this outpost eventually became the chief [[French India|French settlement in India]]. The French governor François Martin made remarkable improvements to the city and its commercial ties, facing at the same time strong opposition from the Dutch and the English. He entered into extended negotiations with the sultans of Golconda through the intercession of several roving French merchants and doctors who were in favour with the sultan. Trading in jewellery and precious stones, which had become highly fashionable in European courts, was one among many activities. Five trading posts were established along the south Indian coast between 1668 and 1674. The city was separated by a canal into the French Quarter and the Indian Quarter.<ref>((Cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/asia/78427269/peace-love-and-a-french-flavour-in-pondicherry-south-india|title=Peace, love and a French flavour in Pondicherry, South India|last=Worrall|first=Jill|date=11 April 2016|website=www.stuff.co.nz|access-date=2 May 2016))</ref>

On 21 August 1693, during the [[Nine Years' War]], Pondicherry was captured by the Dutch. The governor of [[Dutch Coromandel]], Laurens Pit the Younger, sailed with a fleet of seventeen ships and 1,600 men from [[Nagapattinam]] and bombarded Pondicherry for two weeks, after which Francois Martin surrendered it. At the Peace of Ryswick, it was agreed by all parties to return conquered territories, and in 1699, Pondicherry was handed back to the French.<ref>((Cite book|last=Israel|first=Jonathan|title=Dutch Primacy in World Trade 1585-1740|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1989|isbn=0198227299|location=New York))</ref>

On 16 January 1761, the British captured Pondicherry from the French, but it was returned under the [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|1763 Treaty of Paris]], at the conclusion of the [[Seven Years' War]].<ref>Chand, Hukam. ''History Of Medieval India'', 202.</ref> The British took control of the area again in 1793, at the [[Siege of Pondicherry (1793)|Siege of Pondicherry]], amid the Wars of the [[French Revolution]], and returned it to France in 1814.

[[File:Nehru à Pondichéry, janvier 1955.png|thumb|Prime Minister Nehru visiting Pondicherry a few months after the ''de facto'' transfer]]

On 18 March 1954, a number of resolutions were passed by the municipalities in Pondicherry, demanding an immediate merger with India. Some days later, similar resolutions were passed by the municipalities in Karaikal. The resolutions had the full support of the French Indian Councillors, popularly known as ministers, and the president of the representative assembly. These municipalities represented roughly 90% of the population of the French possessions, and they called upon the government of France to take urgent and necessary measures to give effect to the wishes of the people.<ref name=pardeb>[https://eparlib.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/55921/1/lsd_01_06_06-04-1954.pdf Parliamentary debates] eparlib.nic.in 6 April 1954 pp.22–23</ref> The government of India had made it clear that the cultural and other rights of the people would be fully respected. They were not asking for the immediate transfer of ''de jure'' sovereignty of France. Their suggestion was that a ''de facto'' transfer of the administration should take place immediately, while French sovereignty should continue until the constitutional issue had been settled. Both India and France would have to make necessary changes in their respective constitutions. All this would take time, while the demand of the people was for an immediate merger without a referendum. The government of India was convinced that the suggestion which they made would help to promote a settlement, which they greatly desired.<ref name=pardeb/>

On 18 October 1954, in a general election involving 178 people in municipal Pondicherry and the Commune of Panchayat, 170 people were in favour of the merger, and eight people voted against. The ''[[de facto]]'' transfer of the French Indian territories from French governance to the Indian union took place on 1 November 1954 and was established as the union territory of [[Puducherry (union territory)|Pondicherry]]. The treaty effecting the ''[[de jure]]'' transfer was signed in 1956. However, due to opposition in France, the ratification of this treaty by the French National Assembly only took place on 16 August 1962.

==Topography==
The [[topography]] of Pondicherry is the same as that of coastal [[Tamil Nadu]]. Pondicherry's average elevation is at [[sea level]] and includes a number of sea inlets, referred to locally as "[[Kerala backwaters|backwaters]]". Pondicherry experiences extreme [[coastal erosion]] as a result of a [[Breakwater (structure)|breakwater]] constructed in 1989,<ref>((Cite web|url=https://memestreamblog.wordpress.com/2008/10/16/the-story-of-pondicherrys-eroding-coastline-in-a-single-image/|title=The Story of Pondicherry's Eroding Coastline in a Single Image|date=16 October 2008))</ref> just to the south of the city. Where there was once a broad, sandy beach, now the city is protected against the sea by a 2-km-long [[seawall]] that sits at a height of 8.5 m above sea level. Whilst there was an early seawall made by the French government in 1735, this was not "hard structure coastal defence" so much as an adjunct to the old shipping pier and a transition from the beach to the city.<ref>((cite web |url=http://www.pondicherryonline.in/Profile/Geography/ |title=Geography of Pondicherry, Geographical Location of Pondicherry, Pondicherry Natural Features |access-date=22 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916004530/http://pondicherryonline.in/Profile/Geography/ |archive-date=16 September 2009 ))</ref>

Today, the seawall consists of rows of granite boulders reinforced every year in an attempt to stop erosion. As a consequence of the seawall, there is severe seabed erosion and turbulence at the coastal margin, resulting in an extreme [[loss of biodiversity]] within the critical [[intertidal zone]]. Whenever gaps appear as the stones fall into the continually eroding seabed, the government adds more boulders. Pondicherry's seawall has also caused beach erosion to migrate further up the coast, to the fishing villages in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu to the north of the city.((Citation needed|date=June 2019))

==Economy==
[[File:Long exposure shot of Beach road near Pondicherry harbour.jpg|thumb|Long-exposure shot of Pondicherry beach road]]

In 2012, the [[Ministry of Power (India)|Ministry of Power]] inaugurated the "Smart Grid" project in Puducherry.<ref name="smartgrid">((cite news|title=Smart grid project inaugurated|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/smart-grid-project-inaugurated/article4015596.ece|date=20 October 2012|agency=[[The Hindu]]|location=Puducherry|access-date=23 October 2012))</ref> Farming around Pondicherry includes crops such as rice, pulses, sugarcane, coconuts, and cotton.
In 2016, the Pondicherry State Government Employees Central Federation presented a status paper on the fiscal and social crisis in Puducherry to Union Home Minister [[Rajnath Singh]]. The report stated that a "combination of a staggering debt, stagnant tax revenues and rampant misappropriation of funds has throttled the economy of the Union Territory" and called for measures on a war footing to "deliver good governance and end corruption".<ref>((cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/puducherry/Report-paints-grim-picture-of-Puducherry%E2%80%99s-economy/article14394348.ece|title=Report paints grim picture of Puducherry's economy|newspaper=The Hindu|date=18 October 2016|access-date=28 October 2017))</ref>

==Climate==
The climate of Pondicherry is classified by the [[Köppen climate classification]] as [[tropical savanna climate|tropical wet and dry]],<ref name="Climate-Data.org">((cite web|title=Climate: Pondicherry – Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table|url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/2790/|publisher=Climate-Data.org|access-date=6 October 2013))</ref> similar to that of coastal Tamil Nadu. Summer lasts from April to early June, when maximum temperatures may reach ((convert|41|°C|0)). The average maximum temperature is ((convert|36|°C|0)). Minimum temperatures are in the order of ((convert|28|-|32|°C|°F|0)). This is followed by a period of high humidity and occasional thundershowers from June until September.

The [[northeast monsoon#Post-monsoon|northeast monsoon]] sets in during the middle of October, and Pondicherry gets the bulk of its annual rainfall during the period from October to December. The annual average rainfall is ((convert|1355|mm|in|0|disp=or)).<ref>((cite web |url=http://education.vsnl.com/imdchennai/rdwr.htm |title=Government of India |access-date=10 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726170455/http://education.vsnl.com/imdchennai/rdwr.htm |archive-date=26 July 2009 ))</ref> Winters are very warm, with highs of ((convert|30|°C|0)) and lows often dipping to around ((convert|18|-|20|°C|°F|0)).

((Weather box|width=70%
|metric first=yes
|single line=yes
|location= [[Pondicherry Airport]]
|Jan record high C = 33.2
|Feb record high C = 35.2
|Mar record high C = 37.2
|Apr record high C = 41.8
|May record high C = 43.1
|Jun record high C = 41.7
|Jul record high C = 40.7
|Aug record high C = 40.2
|Sep record high C = 38.6
|Oct record high C = 37.9
|Nov record high C = 36.3
|Dec record high C = 32.5
|year record high C = 43.1
|Jan high C = 29.0
|Feb high C = 30.0
|Mar high C = 31.2
|Apr high C = 32.8
|May high C = 34.6
|Jun high C = 35.8
|Jul high C = 34.5
|Aug high C = 33.9
|Sep high C = 33.1
|Oct high C = 31.5
|Nov high C = 29.8
|Dec high C = 29.0
|year high C = 32.1
|Jan low C = 21.9
|Feb low C = 22.5
|Mar low C = 23.8
|Apr low C = 25.9
|May low C = 26.8
|Jun low C = 26.5
|Jul low C = 25.7
|Aug low C = 25.2
|Sep low C = 24.9
|Oct low C = 24.5
|Nov low C = 23.6
|Dec low C = 22.6
|year low C = 24.5
|Jan record low C = 17.1
|Feb record low C = 17.3
|Mar record low C = 18.8
|Apr record low C = 21.9
|May record low C = 21.9
|Jun record low C = 21.5
|Jul record low C = 21.6
|Aug record low C = 21.4
|Sep record low C = 21.5
|Oct record low C = 19.6
|Nov record low C = 16.5
|Dec record low C = 17.1
|year record low C = 16.5
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 12.3
|Feb rain mm = 22.2
|Mar rain mm = 19.3
|Apr rain mm = 7.8
|May rain mm = 48.6
|Jun rain mm = 48.0
|Jul rain mm = 89.5
|Aug rain mm = 132.3
|Sep rain mm = 132.8
|Oct rain mm = 273.9
|Nov rain mm = 350.0
|Dec rain mm = 217.3
|Jan rain days = 0.9
|Feb rain days = 0.9
|Mar rain days = 0.8
|Apr rain days = 0.4
|May rain days = 1.9
|Jun rain days = 2.8
|Jul rain days = 5.3
|Aug rain days = 6.7
|Sep rain days = 6.5
|Oct rain days = 10.3
|Nov rain days = 11.8
|Dec rain days = 6.8
|year rain days = 55.0
|source 1 = India Meteorological Department (record high and low up to 2010)<ref name=IMD>((cite web|url=http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/extreme/pondicherry2.htm|title=Pondicherry Climatological Table Period: 1971–2000|publisher=[[India Meteorological Department]]|access-date=11 April 2015))</ref><ref name=IMD2>((cite web |url=http://www.imdpune.gov.in/Temp_Extremes/histext2010.pdf |title=Ever recorded Maximum and minimum temperatures up to 2010 |publisher=India Meteorological Department |access-date=11 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316064314/http://www.imdpune.gov.in/Temp_Extremes/histext2010.pdf |archive-date=16 March 2014 ))</ref>
))

==Demographics==
[[File:Harry 1.jpg|thumb|The Rajiv Gandhi Women and Children Hospital]]

According to the [[2011 census of India]], Pondicherry had a population of 244,377, with 124,947 females and 119,430 males. It had an average literacy rate of 80.6%, with male literacy at 84.6% and female literacy at 76.7%. Ten per cent of the population was under six years of age.<ref name="dchb">((cite web |title=District Census Handbook: Puducherry |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/3402_PART_B_DCHB_PUDUCHERRY.pdf |website=Census of India |publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=11 February 2019 |pages=86–87))</ref>

The majority of people in Pondicherry speak [[Tamil language|Tamil]]. There is a community of [[French people in India|French people]] and a number of French institutions, such as a French consulate, the [[French Institute of Pondicherry]], and L'[[Alliance française]].<ref>((cite web | title = Pondicherry: Forever France? by Anand Jha | url = http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=823 | date = 21 July 2012 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120721144955/http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=823 | archive-date  = 21 July 2012 | access-date = 3 October 2013 | url-status = live ))</ref>

==Civic administration==
The city of Puducherry comprises two municipalities, [[Pondicherry Municipal Council|Puducherry]] and [[Uzhavarkarai]]. Both the municipalities and the ''commune panchayats'' in the Union Territory of Puducherry function under the administrative control of the local administration department.<ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.py.gov.in/knowpuducherry/dept_localadministration.html|title=Local Administration Departments Know Puducherry: Government of Puducherry|website=www.py.gov.in|access-date=9 April 2020|archive-date=8 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508115203/http://py.gov.in/knowpuducherry/dept_localadministration.html|url-status=dead))</ref> The Puducherry municipality, under the Puducherry district, comprises the former communes of Puducherry and Mudaliarpet, with its headquarters in Puducherry. It has a total of 42 wards spread over an area of ((cvt|19.46|km2)).<ref>((Cite web|url=http://www.pdymun.in/puducherry-municipality-details.php|title=Municipality Details – Pondicherry Municipality – The Union Territory of Puducherry|website=www.pdymun.in|access-date=9 April 2020))</ref> Wards 1–10 are north of the city; wards 11–19 are in ''Boulevard Town'', and the remaining wards are southwest of the city centre.<ref>[http://jnnurmmis.nic.in/toolkit/CDP_Puducherry.pdf Town and Country Planning Department, Pondicherry, India: ''City Development Plan – Pondicherry, Final Report'', March 2007, S. 159] ((webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619092759/http://jnnurm.nic.in/nurmudweb/toolkit/CDP_Puducherry.pdf |date=19 June 2009))</ref>

==Urban agglomeration==
[[File:VNR-Commune-Office-LV.jpg|thumb|The administrative building of Villianur, one of the communes of Puducherry]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Local bodies
! Area
! Population
|-
| Pondicherry Municipality
| ((cvt|19|km2))
| 241,773
|-
| Oulgaret Municipality
| ((cvt|36|km2))
| 300,028
|-
| Villianur Census Town and Outgrowth
|
| 67,254
|-
| Ariyankuppam Town and Outgrowth
|
| 47,454
|-
! Total
! ((cvt|293|km2))
! 629,509
|}

===Data according to the 2011 census===
There are two proposals by the Puducherry government, firstly to merge Pondicherry and [[Oulgaret]] municipalities and upgrade the Pondicherry municipality into a '"[[municipal corporation]]", and secondly to upgrade [[Villianur]] and [[Ariyankuppam]] commune panchayats into municipalities, which would increase the Pondicherry region's urban area around ((cvt|155|km2)) of the total ((cvt|292|km2)).

==Transport==
[[File:Puducherry train station.JPG|thumb|Puducherry Railway Station]]
[[File:PNY airside.jpg|thumb|[[Pondicherry Airport]]]]

===Road===
Pondicherry is connected to [[Chennai]] via the [[East Coast Road]] through [[Mahabalipuram]].<ref name="ECRfastlane">((cite news|title=After a decade on fast lane, ECR is set to expand |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/article2922388.ece |first=Deepa|last=Ramakrishnan|date=23 February 2012 |work=[[The Hindu]]|location=Chennai|access-date=16 September 2012))</ref> There are daily bus services from several main stops from Chennai. The [[Pondicherry Road Transport Corporation]] runs buses within the city and outside.<ref name="urbanroutes">((cite news|title=20 buses launched in urban routes | url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/article466675.ece |date=8 June 2010|work=[[The Hindu]]|location=Puducherry|access-date=19 September 2012))</ref> The [[Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation]] operates air-conditioned bus services from Chennai to Pondicherry.<ref name="boonkancheetnstc">((cite news |title=A boon to Kancheepuram unit of TNSTC |url=http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/19/stories/2010021950820200.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100224011329/http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/19/stories/2010021950820200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 February 2010 |first=Venkatasubramanian |last=V|date=19 February 2010|work=[[The Hindu]] |location=Kancheepuram|access-date=15 September 2012))</ref>

===Rail===
[[Puducherry railway station|Pondicherry]] is connected by train to all major Indian cities, such as Chennai, [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]] ([[Howrah]]), [[Mumbai]], [[Kanyakumari]], [[Hyderabad]], [[Nagpur]], [[Bhubaneswar]], [[Bengaluru]], [[Visakhapatnam]], and [[Mangalore]].<ref name="delhitrain">((cite news|title=Delhi-Puducherry train link from July 3 |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/article2133605.ece|date=25 June 2011|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=16 September 2012))</ref><ref name="mangaloretrain">((cite news|title=Changes in train timings |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/article3891397.ece|date=13 September 2012|work=[[The Hindu]]|location=Puducherry|access-date=16 September 2012))</ref> Moreover, [[Viluppuram Junction railway station|Villupuram Junction]], which is at a distance of around ((cvt|24|mile)), is connected to several other Indian cities.<ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Puducherry/Villupuram|title=Puducherry to Villupuram – 3 ways to travel via bus, and line 16116 train|website=Rome2rio|language=en|access-date=28 January 2020))</ref>

===Air===
[[Pondicherry Airport]] is located at [[Lawspet]], an Assembly Constituency in the Union Territory of Puducherry.<ref name="The Economic Times 2017">((cite web | title=Puducherry back on aviation map; services to Hyderabad launched | website=The Economic Times | date=16 August 2017 | url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/puducherry-back-on-aviation-map-services-to-hyderabad-launched/articleshow/60089905.cms | access-date=12 February 2019))</ref> It has direct flights to [[Rajiv Gandhi International Airport|Hyderabad]]<ref name="The Economic Times 2017"/> and [[Kempegowda International Airport|Bengaluru]].

==Tourism==
((Main|Tourism in Puducherry))
[[File:The French Consulate building.JPG|thumb|The French consulate in Pondicherry]]
[[File:"White Monument at Evening".jpg|thumb|222x222px|[[Aayi Mandapam (monument)|Aayi Mandapam (Park Monument)]] at Bharathi Park]]

Pondicherry is a tourist destination. The city has many colonial buildings, churches, temples, and statues which, combined with the town planning and French-style avenues in the old districts, still preserve much of the colonial ambiance.

While the sea is a draw for tourists, Pondicherry no longer has the sandy beaches that once graced its coastline.((citation needed|date=April 2019)) The breakwater to the harbour and other hard structures constructed on the shore caused extreme coastal erosion, and the sand from Pondicherry's [[Promenade Beach]] has disappeared entirely. As a result of the city's seawall and [[groyne]] construction, the beaches further up the coast to the north have also been lost.  An enormous deposition of sand has accrued to the south of the harbour breakwater, but this is not a large beach and is not easily accessible from the city.((citation needed|date=March 2023))

The government has taken steps to construct a reef and re-dose the sand. The sea is accessible by a small patch of land at Promenade Beach (Goubert Avenue).<ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/300818/artificial-reef-helps-restore-lost-pondy-beach.html|title=Artificial reef helps restore lost Pondy beach|last=M|first=Kavya|date=30 August 2018|website=Deccan Chronicle|access-date=28 January 2020))</ref> Moreover, the beach is one of the cleanest in India and has been selected for [[Blue Flag beach|Blue Flag]] certification.<ref>((Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/puducherry/beach-in-puducherry-selected-for-blue-flag-certification/articleshow/69668759.cms|title=Beach in Puducherry selected for blue flag certification|date=6 June 2019|first=Bosco|last=Dominique |website=The Times of India|language=en|access-date=28 January 2020))</ref>

[[File:Aurobindo Ashram Pondichery - Outside view.jpg|thumb|right|Visitors at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram]]

The Sri Aurobindo Ashram, located on Rue de la Marine, is one of the most important [[ashram]]s in India, founded by the [[Indian independence movement|freedom fighter]] and spiritual philosopher [[Sri Aurobindo]].<ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.sriaurobindoashram.org/sriaurobindo/|title=Sri Aurobindo|access-date=19 July 2019))</ref> [[Auroville]] (City of Dawn) is an "experimental" township located ((cvt|8|km)) northwest of Pondicherry.

There are a number of old and large churches in Pondicherry, most of which were built in the 18th and 19th centuries. A number of heritage buildings and monuments are present around Promenade Beach, such as the Children's Park and Dupleix Statue, Gandhi statue, Nehru statue, Le Café, French War Memorial, 19th Century Light House, Bharathi Park, Governors Palace, [[Romain Rolland Library]], Legislative Assembly, [[Pondicherry Museum]], and the [[French Institute of Pondicherry]] at Saint Louis Street.

Puducherry Botanical Gardens is located south of the New Bus Stand. Chunnambar Backwater resort is ((cvt|8|km))from Pondicherry, along Cuddalore Main Road. This tropical resort is flanked by a creek on one side.

Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar Devasthanam on Manakula Vinayagar Street is a Hindu temple to Ganesha. Sri Manakula Vinayagar Temple was in existence before the French came and settled in Pondicherry in 1666.<ref>((Cite web|url=http://www.manakulavinayagartemple.com/|title=Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar Temple|access-date=19 July 2019))</ref>

[[Sri Sengazhuneer Amman Temple|Sengazhuneer Amman]] at [[Veerampattinam]] village is one of the oldest temples in Pondicherry, situated about ((cvt|7|km)) away from the city centre. The car festival conducted in mid-August is famous in Puducherry and other neighbouring states. The festival takes place on the fifth Friday since the commencement of the Tamil month of 'Aadi' every year.<ref>((Cite news |last=Reporter |first=Staff |date=18 August 2017 |title=Thousands throng car festival at Veerampattinam |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/puducherry/thousands-throng-car-festival-at-veerampattinam/article19520130.ece |access-date=14 February 2024 |work=The Hindu |issn=0971-751X))</ref>

Thirukaameeswarar Temple is located in a rural town called [[Villianur]],<ref>((Cite web|url=http://indiatourismonline.in/2018/06/26/about-pondicherry/|title=About Pondicherry|website=India tourism|access-date=19 July 2019|archive-date=19 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719092101/http://indiatourismonline.in/2018/06/26/about-pondicherry/|url-status=dead))</ref> located about ((cvt|10|km)), towards Villupuram.

((Panorama
|image   = File:Pondicherry Panorama 1.jpg|
|height  = 300
|caption = ((center|Panoramic view of Pondicherry))
))

==Notable people==
===Leaders===
* [[V. Venkatasubba Reddiar]], politician
* [[V. Subbiah]], trade union leader and freedom fighter

===Literature and arts===
* [[Anandaraj]], actor
* [[Bharathidasan]], [[Tamil people|Tamil]] poet
* [[Kalki Koechlin]], actress

===Science and technology===
* [[Yvonne Artaud]], French educationalist and psychologist
* [[Navi Radjou]], innovation and leadership strategist based in Silicon Valley<ref>((Cite web |url=http://thinkbusiness.nus.edu/articles/item/126 |title=Frugal innovation: From East to West and back again |access-date=19 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150119065707/http://thinkbusiness.nus.edu/articles/item/126 |archive-date=19 January 2015 |url-status=dead))</ref>
* [[S. Somasegar]], former senior vice-president, [[Microsoft]]
* [[Ganapathi Thanikaimoni]], scientist and director of the Palynology laboratory of the French Institute of Pondicherry

===Armed forces===
* [[Jacques Lauriston]] (1768–1828), senior-ranking military commander in the [[French Army]], born in Pondicherry

==Popular culture==
* [[Prince Pondicherry]], a character from [[Roald Dahl]]'s ''[[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]]'', named after the city
* Pondicherry is the setting for the first third of [[Yann Martel]]'s 2001 [[Booker Prize]]-winning novel, ''[[Life of Pi]]''. A portion of the subsequent [[Life of Pi (film)|film adaptation]] was filmed there.<ref>((Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/gallery/2012/dec/20/life-of-pi-on-location-pondicherry|title=Life of Pi|website=The Guardian|date=20 December 2012 |access-date=19 July 2019))</ref>
* [[Lee Langley]]'s 1995 novel, ''A House in Pondicherry'' is set here.<ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/books/story/19951031-book-review-lee-langley-house-in-pondicherry-807882-1995-10-31|title=Of Love Lost|website=India Today|access-date=19 July 2019))</ref>

==Educational institutions==
* [[Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research]]
* [[Lycée français de Pondichéry]]
* [[Pondicherry University]]
* [[Puducherry Technological University]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Pondicherry, Puducherry, India.jpg|Rue De La Marine
File:Pondicherry, India.jpg|Rue Saint Louis
File:Nerhu Statue, Pondicherry.jpg|Nehru Statue
File:Pondicherry Manakula Vinayagar Temple.JPG|Gate leading into Manakula Vinayagar Temple in White Town
File:DSC 1218-EFFECTS.jpg|Tanjore painting of Manakula Vinayagar
File:Elephant Lakshmi.jpg|Devotees with Elephant Lakshmi in Manakula Vinayagar Temple
File:Pondicherry Beach, Hut, India.jpg|Beach by the Bay of Bengal
File:Pondicherry, Promenade Beach, Bay of Bengal, India.jpg|Bay of Bengal
File:Sunrise at the Pondicherry shore of happiness,.jpg|Early morning by the Bay of Bengal
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Karaikal]], India
* [[Mahé, India]]
* [[Manakula Vinayagar Temple]]
* [[Yanam]], India

==References==
((Reflist))

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[[Category:Pondicherry (city)| ]]
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