Pondicherry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the Union Territory. For its capital city, see Pondicherry (city).
 This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. (Consider using more specific cleanup instructions.) Please help improve this article if you can. The talk page may contain suggestions. (April 2008)
புதுச்சேரி
Territoire de Pondichéry
Union Territory of Puducherry
—  union territory  —
Location of புதுச்சேரி
Territoire de Pondichéry
పాండిచేరి
പോണ്ടിചെര്രി
Union Territory of Pondicherry
Coordinates 11°56′N 79°50′E / 11.93°N 79.83°E / 11.93; 79.83Coordinates: 11°56′N 79°50′E / 11.93°N 79.83°E / 11.93; 79.83
Country India
District(s) 4
Established 1 July 1963
Capital Pondicherry
Largest city Pondicherry
Lt. Governor Iqbal Singh
Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy (AINRC)
Legislature (seats) Unicameral (30)
Population

• Density

 1,244,464 (2nd)

• 2,529 /km2 (6,550 /sq mi)
Official languages Tamil, French, Telugu, Malayalam
Time zone IST (UTC+05:30)
Area 492 km2 (190 sq mi)
ISO 3166-2 IN-PY
Website www.pon.nic.in

About this sound Pondicherry (help·info) (Tamil: புதுச்சேரி, Telugu: పాండిచేరి, Malayalam: പോണ്ടിചെര്രി), since 2006 officially Puducherry, is a Union Territory of India. It is a former French colony, consisting of four non-contiguous enclaves, or districts, and named for the largest, Pondicherry.

In September 2006, the territory changed its official name from Pondicherry[1] to Puducherry, which means "New village"[2] in the Tamil language. The territory is called புதுச்சேரி (Putuccēri) or பாண்டிச்சேரி (Pāṇṭiccēri) in Tamil, or Pondichéry in French. It is also known as "The French Riviera of the East" (La Côte d'Azur de l'Est).

Contents

[edit] Geography

Pondicherry consists of four small unconnected districts: Pondicherry, Karaikal and Yanam on the Bay of Bengal and Mahé on the Arabian Sea. Pondicherry and Karaikal are by far the larger ones and are both enclaves of Tamil Nadu. Yanam and Mahé are enclaves of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala respectively. The territory has a total area of 492 km²: Pondicherry (city) 293 km², Karaikal 160 km², Mahé 9 km² and Yanam 30 km². It has 900,000 inhabitants (2001).

Mahé beach

[edit] History

Main article: History of Pondicherry

The History of Pondicherry can be traced back to the 2nd century. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, of the early 2nd century, mentions a marketplace named Poduke (ch. 60), which G.W.B. Huntingford identified as possibly being Arikamedu (now part of Ariyankuppam), about 2 miles from the modern Pondicherry. Huntingford further notes that Roman pottery was found at Arikamedu in 1937, and archeological excavations between 1944 and 1949 showed that it was "a trading station to which goods of Roman manufacture were imported during the first half of the 1st century AD".[3]

[edit] French influence

A remarkable degree of French influence in Pondicherry exists to this date. Pondicherry was designed based on the French (originally Dutch) grid pattern and features neat sectors and perpendicular streets. The town is divided into two sections: the French Quarter (Ville Blanche or 'White town') and the Indian quarter (Ville Noire or 'Black Town'). Many streets still retain their French names, and French style villas are a common sight. In the French quarter, the buildings are typically colonial style with long compounds and stately walls. The Indian quarter consists of houses lined with verandas and houses with large doors and grills. These French and Indian style houses are identified and their architecture preserved from destruction by an organization named INTACH. The use of the French language can be still seen in Pondicherry.

Pondicherry still has a large number of Indian and a small number of non-Indian descent residents with French passports. These are descendants of those who chose to remain French when the then-ruling French establishment presented the people of Pondicherry with an option to either remain French or become Indians at the time of Pondicherry's transfer to India in 1954. Apart from the monuments pertaining to the French period, there is the French Consulate in Pondicherry and several cultural organisations. Another important one is Le Foyer du Soldat legion hall for soldiers who served in French wars.

Of the cultural organisations the French Institute of Pondicherry, the Pondicherry Centre of the École française d'Extrême-Orient and a branch of the Alliance Française are noteworthy. A French-medium school system, the Lycée Français de Pondichéry, continues to operate under the aegis of the French Minister of National Education.

[edit] Official languages of government

Map of Pondicherry Region, Union Territory of Pondicherry, India

Official languages of Pondicherry are Tamil (89%), Malayalam (3.8%), Telugu (2.9% Yanam) and French (1%). The status of each language varies by district. When communicating between districts of different languages, generally English is used for convenience.[citation needed]

  • Tamil is used by the Pondicherry government, especially used when communicating within and between the Tamil majority districts of (Pondicherry and Karikal) along with issuing official decrees. Telugu is widely spoken in Pondicherry, Karaikal and Yanam districts. Malayalam is spoken in Mahe and Pondicherry regions.
  • French is also the official language of Pondicherry Union territory. It was the official language of French India (1673–1954) and its official language status was preserved by the Treaty of Cession signed by the Indian Union and the French Republic on 28 May 1956.

French remained as the de jure official language of Pondicherry U.T by the Article XXVIII of the Treaty of Cession, which states that:

The French language shall remain the official language of the Establishments so long as the elected representatives of the people shall not decide otherwise [English version][4]

[edit] Regional official languages

  • Tamil: An official language of Pondicherry. It is the most widely spoken language in the territory. Pondicherry, being a neighbour of Tamil Nadu, shares much of its culture.
  • French: As Pondicherry was once a colonial enclave of France, French remains an official language.
  • Telugu: An official language of Pondicherry, but used more within Yanam (Telugu district). Telugu is widely spoken in Pondicherry by Reddiars, Chettys and Naidus. So, more correctly, it is considered a regional official language of Pondicherry while being the official language of Yanam District. It also has an official language status in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
  • Malayalam: An official language of Pondicherry used only in Mahé (Malayalam district). More correctly, it is considered a regional official language of Pondicherry while being the official language of Mahé District. It also has an official language status in Kerala State and the Lakshadweep Islands Union Territory.

[edit] Language spoken in numbers

As of 2001, number of people speaking in each official languages are[citation needed]

  • Tamil: 820,749 (in Pondicherry and Karaikal districts)
  • Malayalam: 36,823 (in Mahe District only)
  • Telugu: 31,362 (in Pondicherry and Yanam districts)
  • French: 10,000

[edit] Official symbols

On April 16, 2007, the government of Pondicherry announced that the following to be its state symbol:[5]

State bird Koel
State animal Squirrel
State flower Cannonball tree's flower
State tree Bael Fruit Tree

This statement was announced in the state assembly by V. Vaithilingam, then Minister for Agriculture.

[edit] Government and administration

Pondicherry Legislative Assembly
Main articles: Pondicherry Legislative Assembly and Pondicherry Municipal Council
See also: List of lieutenant governors of Pondicherry, List of Chief Ministers of Pondicherry, and List of districts of Pondicherry

Pondicherry is a Union Territory of India, not a separate state, which implies that the governance and administration of the territory falls directly under the federal authority in New Delhi. However, along with Delhi, Pondicherry is one of the two union territories in India which is entitled by special constitutional amendments to have an elected legislative assembly and a cabinet of ministers, thereby enjoying partial statehood powers. Under the special provision, the government is permitted to make laws with respect to specific matters. In many cases, such legislation may require the ratification from the federal government or the assent of the President of India.

The Centre is represented by the lieutenant governor, who resides at the Raj Nivas (Le Palais du Gouverneur) at the Park, the former palace of the French governor. The central government is more directly involved in the financial well-being of the territory, as against the states where financial administration, given a budgeted central grant is the responsibility to the state governments. Consequently, Pondicherry has at various times, enjoyed lower taxes, especially in the indirect category.

[edit] Special administration status

According to the Treaty of Cession of 1956, the four former French colonies in India were assured of maintaining their special administrative status. That is why Pondicherry is the only Union Territory with some special provisions like Legislative Assembly, French is an official language, etc.

Article II of the Treaty states that

"The Establishments will keep the benefit of the special administrative status which was in force prior to 1 November 1954. Any constitutional changes in this status which may be made subsequently shall be made after ascertaining the wishes of the people.

[edit] In Indian philosophy

Pondicherry was the residence of Sri Aurobindo. The Sri Aurobindo Ashram and its Auroville offshoot still operate from Pondicherry.[citation needed]

[edit] Pondicherry in literature

[edit] Economy

[edit] Macro-economic trend

This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Pondicherry at market prices estimated by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian rupees.

Year Gross State Domestic Product
1980 1,840
1985 3,420
1990 6,030
1995 13,200
2000 37,810

Pondicherry's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $2 billion in current prices. The potential for fisheries is substantial in the Union Territory. The four regions of the Union Territory have a coastline of 45 km with 675 km2 of inshore waters, 1.347 ha of inland water and 800 ha of brackish water. There are 27 marine fishing villages and 23 inland fishing villages with fishermen population of about 65,000 of which 13,000 are actively engaged in fishing. Irrigation tanks and ponds are also tapped for commercial fish rearing.

The Railways play a vital role for speedy economic growth. The entire cost towards execution of the new broad gauge line for 10.7 km from Karaikal to Nagore would now be funded by the Ministry of Railways and work has already been awarded on turn key basis for laying the new railway line in a period of 18 months.

The present availability of power is about 400 MW. The demand is likely to increase with the development of Port, Special Economic Zone, other industrial development, trade, commerce etc.It has been decided to expand the Pondicherry Airport so that air services could improve gradually over years, to land ATR to Boeing aircraft, to meet the growing demand for air travel. A MoU has already been signed with Airports Authority of India for expansion of Pondicherry Airport in two phases.

[edit] Tourist spots

Main article: Tourism in Pondicherry

[edit] Places to visit

[edit] Places of worship

Thirunallar Dharbaranyeeswarar temple and tank (also known as Saniswaran temple)
  • Manakula Vinayagar Temple
  • Kamakshi Amman Temple
  • Navagraha Temple (15 ft high Navagrahas)
  • Panchavatee
  • Sri Prithyingara Devi Temple
  • Saniswaran Temple, Thirunallar (Navagraha Sthalam for Saniswaran – 5 km west of Karaikal)
  • Varadaraja Perumal Temple
  • Vedapureeswarar Temple
  • Immaculate Conception Cathedral
  • Sacred Heart Church
  • Jumma Masjid
  • Irumbai Maahaleswarar Temple (Special: Lord Shiva came from the Broken Lingam)
  • Sengazhuneer Amman Temple at Veerampattinam (oldest temple near Ariyankuppam)
  • Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Villianur (8 km from Pondicherrry)
  • Singagiri temple, abishegapaakkam near thavalakuppam. (Temple of Angry Narashimar).

[edit] Transport

[edit] Rail

Pondicherry is connected by a railway branch line from the five-way junction at Viluppuram (town). The railway line is being gauge converted under Project Unigauge from metre gauge to broad gauge.[6]

[edit] Road network

Pondicherry is endowed with excellent infrastructural facilities on par with the best available in the country. A network of all weather metalled roads connecting every village exists in the territory. Pondicherry has a road length of 2552 km (road length per 4.87 km²), the highest in the country.

[edit] Road length comparsion with Tamilnadu and India as a whole

ROADS
Total Road Length (in Pondicherry) 2552 km.
Road Length per 1000 km². Pondicherry Tamil Nadu India
4575 1572 663

[edit] Classification of roads

Sl. No. Type of road Length in

(km)
1

National Highways

64.450
2

State Highways

49.304
3

District & Other Roads

  
 

Pondicherry – 173.384

  
 

Karaikal – 55.162

  
 

Mahé – 19.622

  
 

Yanam – 26.460

  
 

274.628

274.628
4

Rural Roads

  

Pondicherry – 164.964

  
 

Karaikal – 83.470

  
 

248.434

248.434
 

Grand Total

 636.816

[edit] Educational institutions

[edit] Pondicherry University

Pondicherry is a Union Territory with one of the highest levels of quality of life in the country with excellent physical infrastructure and almost a hundred per cent literacy level. It is also the place where Sri Aurobindo and the Mother chose to stay and their writings remain a tremendous source of spiritual awakening that emphasizes the progress of humanity and its spiritual brotherhood. A unique experimental city, Auroville, the brainchild of the Mother, whose inhabitants are drawn from all parts of the world, is situated on the outskirts of the city. Pondicherry, which still carries several marks of French culture and heritage, was also the place where the national poet Shri Subramania Bharathiar wrote several of his masterpieces that fanned the flames of freedom and also enriched modern Tamil literature. Bharathidasan, a staunch disciple of Subramania Bharathiar, whose poems stressed social revolution and emancipation of women, was also an eminent son of Pondicherry. Therefore, it is, indeed, in the fitness of things that this city with such an illustrious history should also have the distinction of housing a Central University that would meet the needs of the people of the Southern states of India in general and those of Pondicherry in particular, for higher education.[7]

[edit] Institutions

The State of Puducherry also has an National Institutes of Technology named as National Institutes of Technology, Puducherry(NITPY) which is maintained by the Government of India and located in the town of Karaikal.

[edit] See also

Geography image Geography portal
Asia image Asia portal
South Asia image South Asia portal
India image India portal
Pondicherry image Pondicherry portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bill to rename Pondicherry as Puducherry passed <http://www.hindu.com/2006/08/22/stories/2006082207481000.htm>.
  2. ^ BBC: "New name for old French territory" <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5365248.stm>
  3. ^ The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, transl. G.W.B. Huntingford (Hakluyt Society, 1980), p. 119.
  4. ^ Le français restera langue officielle des Établissements aussi longtemps que les représentants élus de la population n'auront pas pris une décision différente [French version)]
  5. ^ The Hindu: Puducherry comes out with list of State symbols, April 16, 2007
  6. ^ http://business.gov.in/investment_incentives/infrastructure_pc.php
  7. ^ University, Pondicherry. "Pondicherry University". http://www.pondiuni.edu.in/about_uni.htm. 
  8. ^ avmcpondy.com

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pondicherry
States
India
Union Territories
Union Territory of Pondicherry
Capital
Pondicherry
Districts
Municipalities
Languages
Education
Pondicherry University · JIPMER · NIT Karaikal ·
Places of interest
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pondicherry&oldid=473842051"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages