Pondicherry pronunciation, a former French colony, is a Union Territory of India, consisting of four enclaves or non-contiguous districts and is named for the largest, Pondicherry. The territory is presently undergoing a name change to the original name of the city, Puduchery meaning ‘new village’ in the official Tamil language.



The French used to spell it ‘Poudichery’, which is the contiguous French approximation to the Tamil pronunciation. At some point, the hand-written ‘u’ was mistaken for an ‘n’, and thus the misspelling stuck. The territory is called ‘Putuccēri’ or ‘Pāṇṭiccēri’ in Tamil, ‘Puduccēri’ in Telugu, and ‘Pōttuccēri’ or ‘Pōṇṭiccēri’ in Malayalam. It is also recognized as The French Riviera of the East. Since Pondicherry has been under the influence of French Colony, its influence still can be seen even today, consisting perpendicular streets and neat sectors.



The whole town has been divided into two sections: the Indian quarter and the French quarter, and many of the streets are still having their French names. The buildings in the city can be said an ideal mix of French colonial style, and the Indian style of houses are lined with verandas, and grills and large doors. The state economy keeps boasting of its fisheries and agricultures. Fishing can be regarded as the major occupation as the Union Territory is having a coastline of 45 kms.





How to go:



By Air- Going to Pondicherry comprises a three-hour road journey from Chennai, formerly called Madras. Chennai is well connected to all metros in the country and to many international airports.



BY RAIL - Pondicherry is connected with a meter gauge link with Chennai via Villupuram by the Pondicherry Express.



BY ROAD - Pondicherry is consisted of a good network of roads, which connects it with most of South India.



What to see:



(1) The beach

(2) Government museum

(3) Aurobindo asramam

(4) Churches

(5) Auroville city



Where to stay:



There are the Ashram Guest Houses and many hotels run by the ITDC where one can enjoy their holiday in Pondicherry in comfort.



Read