This was the capital of the French territories in India from 1816 to 1954. Pondicherry is 160km south of Chennai, on the Bay of Bengal. Pondicherry, along with the other French districts of Karaikal (Tamil Nadu), Yanam (Andhra Pradesh) and Mahé (Kerala) make up the Union Territory of Pondicherry. The city has a definite French feel to it. There are French street names, French restaurants, the police wear red kepis (hats), and some people speak French.
The Frenchman Francois Martin established modern Pondicherry as a trading post in 1673. The French used Pondicherry as the capital of their various colonies in Southeast Asia over the next centuries. They subsequently gave Pondicherry to India in 1954 and it became a semi-autonomous territory. Over the years it has maintained much of its French heritage.
Pondicherry is famous as the location of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, founded in 1920 by Sri Aurobindo. The main building of the Ashram is on Rue de la Marine. After Aurobindo passed away, one of his disciples, Mirra Alfassa, a French woman called “The Mother”, became in charge of the Ashram, until her death in 1973 at the age of 95.
Orientation
The city is laid out in a grid, divided into two sections by a canal going through the city. The canal, which is now covered, used to divide the French and Indian sections of town. On the left (west) side of the canal is your typical Indian city. On the right (east) side of the canal is what remains of the old French capital. Much of the architecture is typically European, complete with French restaurants, churches, and a statue of Joan of Arc. The Aurobindo Ashram and its guest houses are in the eastern side of town. Along the sea is Goubert Salai (used to be Beach Rd), which is a pleasant place for a stroll.
Most of the hotels are in the western part of the town. The train station is in the south end of town. The bus stations are on Lal Bahabhur St, in the western part of town.