| Pondicherry
has a glorious history. A lot of foreign
rulers have been here including the
Portuguese, the Dutch, the Danes, the
English and the French. But out of all
of them, the French have had the greatest
influence with their rule spreading
across centuries.
According to mythology, it is said
that Pondicherry was the abode of
Sage Agasthya and the place was known
as Vedapuri. It is believed that Pondy
had trade relations with the Romans,
proof of which is found in the excavations
at Arikamedu which is 7 kms from Pondy.
The town fell into the hands of the
successive rulers of the place which
includes the Pallavas, the Cholas
and the Pandyas.
In 1673 the French started their
rule over Pondicherry and were involved
with regular conflicts between the
English over the possession of the
place. The disputes were however settled
over an agreement between the French
and the British. Subsequently the
place was returned to India.
Pondicherry is now the capital of
the union territory of Pondicherry and
is located in the Coromadel coast of
the Bay of Bengal. The union of Pondicherry
consists of four places, namely Pondicherry
and Karaikal in Tamilnadu, Yanam in
Andhra Pradesh and Mahe in Kerala. However
it is Pondicherry that has been |
