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Union territory of India
Photo: Karthik Easvur, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Pondicherry, officially Puducherry (Tamil: புதுச்சேரி Puduchchēri, Malayalam: പുതുച്ചേരി Putuchchēri, Telugu: పుదుచ్చేరి Puduchchēri), is a union territory in Southern India. It consists of four enclaves in three different states, which came under French occupation before they were peacefully handed over to India. Each enclave shares a mixed cultural heritage, combining its South Indian roots with a French colonial past.
The Puducherry Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) operates bus services between the four enclaves of Pondicherry, covering the states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
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Puducherry (Pondicherry) · Regional · PNY
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Pondicherry (Tamil: புதுச்சேரி Putucceri, French: Pondichéry), also known as Puducherry or Pondy, is a city in Southern India. There is a strong French influence on the architecture of the city, especially in the old quarters, with rues and boulevards lined with Mediterranean-style houses and bakeries, although the city remains very much Indian.
Karaikal district, part of the discontiguous union territory of Pondicherry, is a small enclave within Tamil Nadu. Karaikal and the other parts of Pondicherry are former French colonial territories in India.
Mahe is a little beach town enclave of Pondicherry near Kannur. It is effectively a town that is Kerala, but retains some French influence as it was a colony of France.
Thirubuvanai, a village at the outskirts of Pondicherry, home to Chola temples.
Yanam district, part of the discontiguous union territory of Pondicherry (Puducherry), is a small enclave within central Andhra Pradesh. The population is only 32,000 which is surprisingly low for a district by Indian standards.
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