Neglected for a long time, Pondicherry is now looking at preserving its heritage with active restoration and preservation programs which makes the city 1690 km south of Chennai (Madras) an interesting historical place to visit.
PONDICHERRY- During three centuries, France was present in India with a couple of commercial concessions. The two most famous are certainly Chandernagor (Chandenaggar today) in Benghal –in the vicinity of Calcutta- and Pondichéry (Pondicherry in English/Puducherry in Tamil), in the Southern State of Tamil Nadu near Chennai (Madras). France returned both cities to India following referendums. Chandernagor integration to India was officially finalized in August 1949 while a treaty was signed only on May 28 1956 for Pondichéry. The city officially returned to India in 1962.
For a long time, French heritage was neglected. Some 15 buildings such as churches, convents, the Liberty Gate, the Library but also the Dupleix Palace – the former residence of the French Administrator Joseph Francois Dupleix- are earmarked in Chandernagor as places worth visiting for tourists. In Pondicherry, a third of all French colonial and Tamil historical buildings –the equivalent of 550 houses- is estimated to have been destroyed between 1994 and 2002 to leave space for new commercial development.
Massive destruction of this heritage however was a wake-up call for local communities and even the City Government. Since a decade, associations such as the APP (Friends of Pondicherry Heritage) and a UNESCO mission called the ‘Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage’ (INTACH) worked on evaluating the XVIII and XIX century French heritage of the city and ways to preserve and d restore remaining vestiges of French architectural legacy in Pondicherry. The City administration is now eager to boost tourism by positioning Pondicherry as India’s window to French Culture. The city is divided into a French and Tamil town with numerous heritage buildings such as churches, colonial villas or schools offering a unique atmosphere. The Pondicherry municipality is now working in partnership with the European Commission, the city of Urbino, Italy, and the city of Villeneuve-sur-Lot, France. All together they have launched an ambitious ‘Asia Urbs Program’ to conserve French and Tamil architectures that lend a quaintly enchanting appeal to Pondicherry’s streets.
“The uniqueness of Pondicherry is its aspect. We cannot afford any more to lose that asset,” was explaining in 2004 K. Lakshminarayanan, tourism minister of the Union Territory of Pondicherry (UTP) to local Indian reporters. Programs to restore streets, boulevards or the waterfront along the ocean have been implemented over the past decade, helping to preserve dozens of buildings in the Tamil Town as well as in the French town. The authorities hope to give back to Pondicherry a distinctive activity. According to UTP tourism administration, Pondicherry attracted in 2007 – the latest available date- over 856,000 tourists of which only 7% were foreign travellers (the equivalent of 58,000 persons). French flavour is now celebrated through a Pondicherry Brand campaign highlighting the historical heritage, culinary experience and beach relaxation in the city.
They are today eight heritage hotels in town, the most famous being the Hotel de l’Orient, in the French town. Once a dilapidated French structure, it has been carefully restored by INTACH. Managed by Nee has ten rooms and suites and plays host for numerous movies with its delightful colonial atmosphere. Maison Perumal is another lovely 10-rooms hotel which has been restored in 2010 and has earned numerous distinctions. The hotel is managed by Indian hotel group CGH Earth. The house is a former Tamil structure from the 18th century.
With more sophisticated travellers exploring today India’s colonial past, Pondicherry is certain to become a must-see destination. The city was even recently described by National Geographic Magazine as “a glowing highlight of an Indian sojourn…
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
