History Of Pondicherry:

 The modern history of Pondicherry begins with the reign of the Sultan of Bijapur who acceded the throne after the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire that came to an end in the year 1638. The influence of the foreign countrie s gained prominence in Pondicherry from the beginning of the 16th century.

The territory of Pondicherry has enjoyed and participated in the maritime activities for a long time. Realizing the potential of the territory that is placed by the east coast of India, the Por tuguese, Danes, Dutch and the English arrived in Pondicherry and set up their colonies in the region.

The presence of the foreign countries benefited the commerce and economy of the region of Pondicherry. The Portuguese were the first to set up a factory in the region in the beginning of the 16th century. The Danes and the Dutch followed the Portuguese and established their trading centers in Poto Novo and Cuddalore. The rulers of Gingee were influential in deciding the presence of the foreign countries in Pondicherry.

 Losing the confidence of the rulers, the Portuguese had to abort the trade in Pondicherry. The French were, on the contrary, invited by the rulers to establish their trade in the region.

The architecture of the region flourished under the influence of the foreign countries i n Pondicherry who constructed churches and forts that still stands in South India as evidence of the influence of the foreign countries in the region. The strife to control the region continued to shape the modern history of Pondicherry till the region gained independence and became a union territory of India in the year 1954.

According to mythologies and legends, Puducherry was once the dwelling place for the great Hindu sage Agastya. It was a major Vedic centre and was called as Vedapuri. Excavations at Arikanmedu have revealed that there was a possibility that this could have been a port town and there might be a Roman rule and settlement here before 2000 years. It had trade links with Rome and Greece that continued till the period of the Cholas during the 10th and the 11th century.

The Pallavas, the Pandiyas, the Muslim rulers also invaded and ruled over this place for quite some time. Puducherry Historical Uniqueness In the early 16th century the Portuguese established their supremacy in Puducherry. They ruled for a while. Then the Dutch and the French people entered this place for trade reasons and then started ruling this territory. In 1673 the French started ruling the territory. During the rule of the French in Puducherry there were several minor conflicts and battles fought between the French and the Britishers to capture Puducherry.

After several conflicts finally both the countries came to a conclusion and an agreement was signed where Puducherry was given back to the French by the Britishers. In the year 1954, Puducherry was retained back to India by the French