October 2025

Pondicherry has a nearly 300-year history as a French colony in India. A lasting legacy of French architecture, street names and culture is found in the Old French Quarter, known as White Town. Pondicherry officially became a Union Territory of India in 1954, but French influence and character remains with French-speaking residents and institutions like the Alliance and Lycee Francais.

Ancient Trade Routes and Colonization
Archeological findings show trade with the Roman Empire took place as early as the 1st century AD.
Pondicherry was under the rule of several South Indian kingdoms, including the Pallava, Chola, Pandya and Vijayanagara empires. While the Ottomans, Persians and Mongols controlled the land-trade routes, European traders began to arrive by sea with the aim to control and colonize.
The Portuguese, Dutch and even the Danes used Pondicherry as a trading post during 16-17th centuries.
The French arrived and managed to offer higher taxes to the Sultan of Bijapur in the north of India ( who was later taken over by the Mughals ). In turn, Governor Sher Khan Lodi granted Francois Martin, the director of the French Indies Company, permission to establish a settlement which came to be known as Pondicherry in 1673. Lodi was interested in boosting textile trade and wanted to compete with the Dutch. The French later defeated the Portuguese in 1741 and a long rivalry between the British and French took place. The British captured Pondicherry in 1761 but it was returned to the French in 1763 as a result of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Seven Years’ War between Britain, France and Spain. The French were granted their trading posts back but they were forbidden to pursue any further territorial expansion allowing the British East India Company to be the dominant foreign power in India.
Following India’s independence in 1947, the transfer of French posessions was negotiated but the actual transfer did not occur until 1954- the same year the French lost their control of Vietnam.
A referendum was held in 1962 allowing local residents to choose either French or Indian citizenship. Pondicherry was renamed Puducherry in 2006, but most locals today still refer to the town as Pondicherry with a vibrant mix of Tamil and French cultures. French is still an official language and many students learn it as a second language in schools.

Wandering around the Old French Quarter, you can step into peaceful colorful courtyards housing offices, schools, cafes and new boutique hotels.

Coromandel Cafe- originally home to a French Judge is now a relaxing oasis for meals and desserts.

Local guide Venkat leads bicycle and walking tours introducing fascinating history and stories.

Our Lady of Immaculate Conception
French Jesuits who were expelled from Siam in 1689 came to settle in Pondicherry and built their first church in 1691 but Dutch invaders destroyed the church in 1693. The Jesuits built a second church in 1699-but it was not very strong, so they rebuilt a third church which ended up being destroyed by the British in 1761. Rebuilt again in 1791, the architecture of this Mother Cathedral of Pondicherry today reflects a mixture of French, Spanish and Portuguese styles.

Our Lady of Angels Church- Eglise Notre-Dame des Anges dates back to 1855.
Built in Greco-Roman style, it is the only church in Pondicherry offering mass in three languages daily- French, Tamil and English.

Palais de Mahe– today a luxury boutique hotel. I was wondering about the name Mahe- and it was interesting to learn about Bernard-Francois Mahe de Labourdonnais who was a French Navy officer and colonial administrator employed by the French Indies Company. He managed to capture a small port on the western Malabar coast of India which was renamed Mahe and which remained a small enclave of Pondicherry.
I always imagined the name Mahe on Seychelles as an exotic island name, but the name was also given to the main island of Seychelles by French explorer Lazare Picault in 1742.

Mahe de Labourdonnais was quite the historical character- he became governor of Mauritius and Reunion increasing the slave population to work on sugarcane plantations there. And during conflict between the British and French in India, rivalry broke out between Mahe de Labourdonnais, who was made head of a fleet to defeat the British, and the Governor of Pondicherry, Joseph Francois Dupleix.
Labourdonnais wanted to claim Madras for himself whereas Dupleix wanted Madras returned to the British in exchange for other territories. Dupleix exposed a scandal of Labourdonnais making secret deals with the British which resulted in Labourdonnais’ return to France to face trial. He was jailed in the Bastille for three years. Later, statues and schools were erected to honor Labourdonnais, however on Reunion, his statue has been targeted by anti-slavery protesters.

Back in Pondicherry today…

Locals and visitors love exploring the old town with chic shops ..

enjoying milk coffees and teas, Indian sweets, and French chocolate.

The French Consulate is on the left and other stately buildings are amidst tree-lined avenues.

The former headquarters of the French Indies Company is now the residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. The sea-side Promenade is a car-free zone, so nice to enjoy leisurely walks.

Sri Aurobindo

Sri Aurobindo Ashram– another special space in history.
Sri Aurobindo was a poet, revolutionary, yogi and philosopher who played a key role in the Indian independence movement. After being imprisoned by the British, he shifted from political activism to spiritual pursuits. French India became a refuge for fugitives of British India and Sri Aurobindo came to Pondicherry in 1910 where he felt safe from British surveillance.  He founded a community in Pondicherry and developed a philosophy called Integral Yoga. His spiritual path focused on the concept of divine life on Earth through spiritual evolution. 

Mira Alfassa, known by her followers as The Mother, was from France of Turkish and Egyptian Sephardic Jewish descent. She came to Pondicherry in 1914 and joined Sri Aurobindo to take up the task of building a new society of consciousness. The Sri Aurobindo Society continues today as an NGO supporting a wide range of projects including education, health, rural development, programs for children with special needs, prison reformation, Indian culture and the arts, leadership training for youth and women. It is quite an organization, and when visiting the ashram in town, one can feel the loving energy of so many followers who come to pay respects to where The Mother and Sri Aurobindo lie in samadhi.
See and Learn more on:
https://aurosociety.org/

Auroville
An experimental community of Auroville was established in 1968 as a universal city dedicated to human unity and sustainable living, where people from all over the world could come to live in harmony, transcending differences of nationalty, politics an religion. This particular experiment has undergone some disputes and splits which I will not touch on. However you can visit the Auroville site to learn more.

Located approx10km outside of Pondicherry, visitors are welcome to see the Matrimandir Golden Dome
surrounded by 12 concrete petals and gardens symbolizing a 12-petal lotus out of which the Matrimandir rises. Visitors can register in advance for timings to join meditations.
https://auroville.org/

Pondicherry is a place where you can slow down away from fast-paced life and reflect on time gone by and what is now.

It takes a bit of effort to get to Pondicherry. Approx 3 hours drive south from Chennai by car Train is also possible and perhaps one day the Puducherry airport will operate flights again.

A visit to Pondicherry would not be complete without an inightful walking or bicycle tour.
You can contact Guide Venkat through the Aura Experience Store along the Promenade- and of course see their wonderful products and enjoy their Cafe.
https://auraexperiencestore.com/

Loved my little homestay called La Maison Radha in the heart of Tamil Town.
I also love croissants but really love idlis, roti with chutney and curry!

Where to next in India? There is so much to explore in India and it is not a place to be rushed.

Tamil Nadu has been home to many historical dynasties.
Thanjavur, a few hours drive or train from Pondicherry on the way to Tiruchirappalli is where you can visit
Brihadeshwara Temple– an incredible masterpiece of Dravidian architecture first created by Raja Raja Chola I in the 11th century.
See more about Thanjavur: https://alamasia.net/brihadeshwara-temple-a-dravidian-masterpiece/