Pondicherry (city)

Pondicherry
பாண்டிச்சேரி
	Pondicherry; பாண்டிச்சேரி
	— capital —
Coordinates
Country	India
State	Pondicherry
District(s)	Pondicherry
Municipal chairman
Population; • Density; • Metro	(2011); • 9,166 /km2 (23,740 /sq mi); • 654,392
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area; • Elevation	; • 3 metres (9.8 ft)
• Pincode	• 605001-605014
• Telephone	• +91 (0)413
• Vehicle	• PY-01

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This article is about the municipality in Pondicherry, India. For its namesake district, see Pondicherry district.

Pondicherry ( /pɒndɨˈtʃɛri/ or /pɒndɨˈʃɛri/; Tamil: பாண்டிச்சேரி, [pud̪ɯttʃeːɾ̪i]) is a city, an urban agglomeration and a municipality in Pondicherry district in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. It is affectionately known as Pondy, and has been officially spelled Puducherry since 2006.

[edit] Geography

The geography of Pondicherry is the same as that of coastal Tamil Nadu. Pondicherry's average elevation is at sea level, and a number of sea inlets, referred to as "backwaters" can be found. One such inlet, Chunnambar is a popular tourist destination.

Pondicherry experiences coastal erosion. The city is protected against the sea by a 1.25 mile (2-kilometre) long seawall, first completed by the French in 1735, which reaches a height of 27 feet above sea level.^[1] A weather-beaten cement plaque with the year 1952 is still visible along a section of the seawall. The seawall is protected from the direct onslaught of waves by rows of granite boulders which are reinforced every year to stop erosion. Whenever gaps appear or the stones sink into the sand, the Government adds more boulders to keep it strong.

[edit] Town structure

Map of Pondicherry Region, Union Territory of Pondicherry, India

Pondicherry city consists of 42 wards. Wards 1-10 are located in north of the city. Wards 11-19 are located in Boulevard Town and remaining wards are located in the South west of the downtown.^[2]

[edit] Economy

Businesses headquartered in Pondicherry include manufacturer General Airconditioners.

[edit] Climate

The climate of Pondicherry is similar to that of coastal Tamil Nadu. Summer lasts from April to early June, when maximum temperatures frequently hit the 41 °C mark. The average maximum temperature is 36 °C. Minimum temperatures are in the order of 28 - 32 °C. This is followed by a period of high humidity and occasional thundershowers from June till September.

The 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 1240 mm.^[3] Winters are mild, with highs of 30 °C and lows often dipping to around 18 - 20 °C.

[edit] Demographics

Sacred Heart Jesus Church

At the 2011 India census,^[4] Pondicherry had a population of 675,000. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Pondicherry has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 71%. In Pondicherry, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

The majority of Puducherrians speak Tamil, Telugu, or Malayalam. At the time of their departure from the country, the French colonisers gave Puducherrians the option to secure French nationality. However, few accepted the offer. There is a community of French people in Pondicherry and a number of French institutions such as a consulate, French schools, the French Institute, and L'Alliance Française.^[5] A fascination for the French language and French culture is very common.

There is also a sizeable community of Indians from other states of India, notably Bengal, Gujarat and Orissa.

[edit] Urban agglomeration

Local bodies	Area	Population
Pondicherry Municipality	19.54 km²	241,773
Oulgaret Municipality	36.70 km²	300,028
Villianur Commune Panchayat [urban]	km²
Ariyankuppam Commune Panchayat [urban]	km²
Total 654,392	km²

Datas according to 2001 census.

There are two proposals by the Pondicherry government, firstly to merge Pondicherry and Oulgaret municipalities, and upgrade 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 155 km². of the total 292 km².

[edit] Tourism

French War Memorial

Main article: Tourism in Pondicherry

Pondicherry is one of the most popular tourist destinations in South India. The city has many beautiful colonial buildings, churches, temples, and statues, which, combined with the systematic town planning and the well planned French style avenues, still preserve much of the colonial ambiance. Pondicherry is also a popular weekend destination. It is a blend of spiritual aura, French colonial heritage, Tamil culture, virgin beaches and the cosmopolitan flair of many nationalities in a small but varied city.

The most popular tourist destinations are the four beaches in Pondicherry, which are Promenade Beach, Paradise Beach, The Auroville Beach and Serenity Beach. Sri Aurobindo Ashram, located on rue de la Marine, is one of the most well known and wealthiest ashrams in India. Auroville (City of Dawn) is an "experimental" township located 8 km north-west of Pondicherry. It is meant to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities.

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

Pondicherry Botanical Gardens is located south of the New Bus Stand. Chunnambar Backwater resort is situated 8 km from Pondicherry, along the Cuddalore Main Road. This tropical resort is flanked by a quiet-flowing creek on one side. Boating and tree house^{[clarification needed]} are very popular.

Thirukaameeswarar Temple is one of the ancient, beautiful, and huge temples that is located in a beautiful rural town called "Villianur" (the ancient name is Vilvanallur, which means "vilva marangal niraindha nalla vur"), which is located about 10 km away (towards Villupuram) from Pondicherry town. This temple is renowned As "Periya Koil", which Means "Big Temple" in Pondicherry locality. The prime god is Lord Shiva and the prime goddess is Goddess Kokilambigai. In addition, there are also other Hindu gods such as Murugan, Vinayagar, Thakshanamoorthy, Perumal, Bhramah, Chandikeshwarar, Natarajar, Navagrahah, and 63 Naayanmaars. The pioneers^{[clarification needed]} in this temple say that the age of this temple is about 1000+ years. This seemed to be constructed by one of the Chola Kings. There is also a huge "temple pond". One of the famous festival of this temple is "Ther Thiruvizha" (Car Festival).