French Culture in Puducherry

Pondicherry was founded in 1673 after the “La Compagnie française des Indes Orientales” was granted firman by the Qiladar of Valikandapuram, who served under the Sultan of Bijapur. A French Corporation Official named Bellanger moved into the Danish Lodge at Pondicherry on February 4, 1673. 

The French Company appointed François Martin as the first Governor in 1674. He began the enormous mission of transforming Pondicherry from a modest fishing village into a bustling port city. This article will discuss the brief history of Puducherry and its beginning with the French colony. 

Discuss French Culture in Puducherry

The French Corner in Pondicherry bought and settled first by the French East India Company to establish a trading centre, is still a part of France in India. Pondicherry has passed through the hands of several colonial powers, including the Portuguese, Dutch, and English, but it was primarily the French that ruled it. 

Pondicherry, although a Union Territory of India, is nevertheless heavily influenced by the French. Residents were given the choice of keeping their French passports after Pondicherry was turned over to India. Pondicherry’s people (including Indians and non-Indians) are French nationals; the streets have preserved their French names; cafes and restaurants sell French cuisine with menus written in French; residents speak French, and houses are designed in French architectural styles.

Pondicherry is laid out in a grid pattern similar to France’s, with perpendicular streets. A river divides the town from the Indian Quarter (Ville Noire / Black Town) and the French Quarter (Ville Blanche / White Town). The RUE DUMAS, RUE SUFFREN, RUE ROMAIN ROLLAND, and RUE LA BOURDONNAIS are the four main streets that make up the Heritage Walk in Pondicherry’s French Quarter. Exploring these neighbourhoods on foot is the greatest way to immerse oneself in French culture.

Large compounds, imposing walls, and stately doorways characterise French villas in colonial architecture. This characterises the French way of life, which entails keeping one’s private and social life hidden behind high walls.

History of French colony Pondicherry

The Union Territory of Puducherry comprises the former French colonies of Puducherry, Mahe, Karaikal, and Yanam. The state of Tamilnadu & Kerala around the districts of Puducherry and Karaikal, whereas Kerala encircles Mahe and Andhra Pradesh encircles Yanam.

The French corporation acquired Mahe, Karaikal, and Yanam between 1720 and 1738. During the Anglo-French Wars, from 1742 to 1763, Puducherry changed hands several times. The British “East India Company” took it first from the French in 1761, and the Treaty of Paris substantially returned the French Industry’s sovereignty in 1763.

The British “East India Company” acquired control of the territory during the French Revolution in 1793, and it was returned to the French “East India Company” in 1814. The French “East India Company ” was allowed to keep their colonies at Pondicherry, Mahe, Karaikal, Yanam, and Chandernagor when the British “East India Company ” took control of India in the late 1850s.

The reunification of France’s Indian holdings with old British India was spurred by India’s independence in 1947, and a 1948 treaty between both the French and Indian administrations demanded that the inhabitants of France’s Indian holdings decide on their future in politics. The administration was de facto united with India on November 1, 1954, and the legally recognized unity of French India through the Indian Union took place in 1963.

Describe the French colony in the French colony

The French East India Company, or FEIC, was the final European force to arrive in India. Surat (Gujarat) was the first location where they established a factory, trailed by Masulipatnam, known as the Andhra coast. Chandernagore was the site of their first colony (Bengal). 

By the 17th century, they had established a stronghold in Pondicherry, now known as Puducherry, on Tamil Nadu’s Coromandel Coast. Governor-generals such as Pierre Christophe Le Noir and Pierre Benoît Dumas enlarged Pondicherry. They added new territories, including Mahe (1725) on the Malabar coast, Yanam (1723) on the Andhra coast, and Karaikal (1739) 140 kilometres south of Pondicherry. Pondicherry administered these four geographically distinct enclaves, as well as Chandernagore.

Chandernagore was given to India on May 2, 1950, shortly after India’s independence. On November 1 1954, the Union Territory of Pondicherry and its enclaves were de facto given over to India. After the French parliament accepted the Treaty of Cession, Pondicherry was de jure merged with India on August 16, 1962. As a result, Pondicherry honours Independence Day on August 16, whereas the rest of India does so on August 15.

Conclusion

The White Town in Puducherry, which embodies French spirit in its urban design, streetscape, and architecture, exemplifies French influence in Pondicherry. Many decaying French-era structures, on the other hand, were razed. In conjunction with the government of Pondicherry, INTACH or also called Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, renovated some heritage mansions.

The Town Hall, which was built in 1870 to hold the office of the register of birth records and the municipal council, collapsed in 2014 due to negligence.