City (pop., 2001 prelim.: 220,749), seaport, and capital of Pondicherry union territory, southeastern India.
Lying on the Coromandel Coast, it originated as a French trade centre in 1674, when it was purchased from a local ruler. After being held by the Dutch (169397), it was taken by the British several times between 1761 and 1803. It was a French possession in 18161954. A seaside tourist resort, it contains an international study centre at a Hindu religious retreat, or ashram .