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History of Puducherry

The history of Puducherry can emphatically be bundled between two points. That is to say, the region started as a diminutive fishing village, and now it is looked at as a magnificent port city located in the south India. The French people set their eyes in Puducherry during 1674 and left alone a portion of them when their unmolested decree ended up during the year 1954. Truth has to be told that nothing much has changed since the departure of the French. Today, the union territory of Puducherry stands tall as Quintessence of French Culture. Owing to its rich historical background, the atmosphere of Puducherry still bears a delicate touch of French.
History of Puducherry

A casual visit to the exquisitely beautiful Puducherry is nothing but a travel in time with a vivacious present feting its fascinating past times. The actual history of Puducherry dates back to the Roman times, but the historical records of the union territory commence from the French people when they first set foot here during the year 1674. Puducherry is the French version of the actual name Puducheri which literally means new town in the local language of Tamil. A lot of people have used Puducherry’s cordial reception on their path to the holy temple town of Rameshwaram Ramanathaswamy Temple hence adding more value to its impeccable culture.

Early Times of Puducherry

The recognized story of Puducherry goes back to the origin of our geological era. Besides, the union territory had a prosperous nautical account. Diggings at Arikamedu (an archaeologic land site in Kakkayanthope, Ariyankuppam Commune, Puducherry), located just 7 km from Pondicherry in the south, indicate that Romans visited the place to trade during the 1st Century AD. The business deal of Romans includes colored fabrics, clayware and semi-precious gemstones. The conclusions are nowadays exhibited in the Puducherry Government museum.

Ancient Roman hands cite one of the commercial points situated on the Indian seacoast as Poduca or Poduke, which denotes, historiographers confirm, exclusively to the Puducherry of the present. Prior to this time period, the history of Puducherry is acknowledged with a foregone conclusion. The Bahur Plates, brought out during the 8th century talk about a Sanskrit University located in the region. Another known account is also there that the sage Agastya or Agathiyar (guru of all Siddhars, and the Siddha medicine system), instituted his Ashram in Puducherry and the particular location was acknowledged as Agastiswaram.

An inscription detected close to the Vedapuriswarar Temple or Vazhaimadunathar Temple ( Paadal Petra Sthalam) clues at the credibleness of this account. The chronicle of Puducherry goes forward at the starting of the fourth-century AD as the Puducherry region is a division of the Pallava dynasty (dominated between the 2nd and 9th centuries CE, reining a part of what is now called as India). The subsequent centuries show that Puducherry is inhabited by various other long-familiar dynasties of the South India.

The Chola dynasty of Thanjavur (longest-ruling dynasties in the history of south India) arrogated the region, substituted by the Pandya Kingdom in the following century. Subsequently an abbreviated intrusion by the Islamic swayers of the North India, who constituted the Sultanate of Madurai, the Vijayanagar conglomerate took charge whole of South India and survived until 1638, as the grand Turk of Bijapur commenced to govern over Gingee or Senji, a well known town locate in the present day villupuram district of Tamil Nadu.

Foreign Influences of Puducherry

The touch of European reach gave extensive aftermaths in terms of administrations and in the long run the occupancy of the whole country. During the year 1497, the Portuguese struck the sea itinerary to India and commenced to build up their work by invading coastal fields and constructing seaport townships, which shortly expanded more than 20,000 km of coastline.  The Portuguese constituted a manufacturing plant in Puducherry at the start of the 16th century, but were commanded to go out a century afterwards by the swayer of Gingee, who remarked them impossible to bring into friendly accord.
Puducherry History

Subsequently, the Danish people concisely established an institution, and similarly, the Dutch people. The Dutch established country stores in Parangipettai, historically known as Porto Novo and Cuddalore. The French people, who had commercial business point northwards; Madras and Mahe were asked in order to open up a selling point in Puducherry by the swayer of Gingee/Senji to contend with the Dutch people. The year 1673 holds substantive importance as a French executive, assumed residency in the Danish lodge in the union territory, and the French time period of Puducherry started out! The very next year Francois Martin, the maiden Governor General of Pondicherry, commenced to establish Puducherry and transubstantiated it from a humble fishing town into a booming port city.

During the year 1693, the Dutch people arrogated and strengthened the township substantially. However, four years later Kingdom of The Netherlands and French Republic contracted pacification, and the French people recovered Puducherry in 1699. In the 18th century, the town was arrayed on a grid model and developed substantially. Long-familiar Governor General of Pondicherry like Pierre Christoph Le Noir, Pierre Dulivier, Guillaume Andre d'Hebert, Pierre Benoit Dumas and Joseph Francois Dupleix prospered the Puducherry region and turned it as a prominent and productive township. Nevertheless, aspiration collided with the English people pursuits in the country, and that marked the commencement of several open political conflicts.

Puducherry after the Indian Independence

The year 1816 holds much grandness as the French people recovered to last command of Puducherry, though the region has been mixed-up about a lot of its erstwhile aura.  Consecutive Governors bettered the region in terms of law, infrastructure pattern, business and economy. Finally, during the year 1954, the French people gave Puducherry to the independent India, and the land has become an integral part of India.

Brief Timeline of Puducherry History

Pre-colonial History

325 - 900: Pallava Dynasty
900 - 1279: Chola Dynasty
1279 - 1370: Pandya Dynasty
1370 - 1614: Vijayanagar Empire
1614- 1638: Sultanate of Bijapur

Colonial History of Pondicherry

1523: Portuguese set up a factory
1618: Dutch buy textiles
1624: Danes set up a factory
1674 - 1693: First French settlement
1693 - 1700: Dutch rule
1700 - 1761: French rule
1761 - 1765: British rule
French rule 1765 - 1778
British rule 1778 - 1783
French rule 1783 - 1793
British rule 1793 - 1815
French rule 1815 - 1954

Famous French Governors in India

  • Francois Martin - first Governor General of Pondicherry, 1699 - 1706
  • Pierre Dulivier - Governor General of Pondicherry for two periods, 1712–1717
  • Guillaume Andre d'Hebert, 1717–1718
  • Joseph Beauvollier de Courchant, 1723–1726
  • Pierre Christoph Le Noir, 1726–1734
  • Pierre Benoit Dumas - a street in Pondicherry was named after him, 1734–1741
  • Joseph Francois Dupleix - rival of Robert Clive, 1742 - 1754
  • Thomas, comte de Conway, 1787–1789
  • Dominique Prosper de Chermont, 1792–1793
  • Louis Alexis Etienne Bonvin, 1938–1945
  • Nicolas Ernest Marie Maurice Jeandin, 1945–1946
  • Charles Francois Marie Baron, 1946 - 1947

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