Page 8 - Diving In India Demo

Introduc3on to Pondicherry
Local area and description
Pondicherry lies in the southern part of the Indian Peninsula, 160 km south of Chennai. Pondicherry is not only home to people from different parts of Tamil Nadu but also to people from different parts of the world. Even aier the French lei the place in 1954, their influence is highly reflected in various cultural and ethnic aspects. Common languages spoken are Tamil, French, English, Telugu and Malayalam.
The people of Pondicherry are mul3-na3onal and mul3-ethnic by nature and thus have a cosmopolitan culture while firmly holding on to the na3ve tradi3on of the region. One of the characteris3c feature na3ve to the territory of Pondicherry is that they have a diverse culture thus resul3ng in a secular aktude. People hold a close connec3on with Sri Aurobindo Ashram. The interna3onal township of Auroville nearby further adds to the diversity in unity as Auroville is primarily an experiment of people from different parts of the globe living in harmony. They try and follow a spiritual path through the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, Yoga, medita3on, community work and more.
Early period and Roman 3mes: Pondicherry was an essen3al des3na3on for Roman trade with India during the 1st century AD. Arikamedu, the ancient Roman trade centre is 4 Kms south of Puducherry on the right bank of Ariyankuppam River. It has a long history that dates back to the second century B.C. The port town was inhabited by Romans, Cholas and French who lei their mark on this beau3ful place. It was formerly a major Chola port dedicated to bead making and trading with Roman traders and was believed to be the only city with an archaeological record of Roman presence in India. Various tex3les, beads, terracoOa artefacts, gold and semi-precious jewellery, were exported to Greco Roman ports and other countries in the East from Arikamedu. Arikamedu’s glass bead making site was considered as “mother of all bead centres” in the world. Except for the perpendicular walls and mission house, there is not much that can be seen on the surface as the excavated trenches have been filled up. Coconut and Mango trees can be seen in abundance here. Over the following centuries, several dynas3es such as Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas, Muslim invaders from the North as well as Vijayanagar Empire controlled Pondicherry.
• European period: In 1647, the French East India Company set up a trading centre at Pondicherry, and this eventually became the chief French seOlement in India. Dutch and the Bri3sh trading companies also wanted to trade with India. Several wars were fought between the European countries that spilt over into the Indian sub-con3nent. The Dutch finally gained control of Pondicherry in 1693 only to return it to the French in 1699. During the Anglo-French wars (1742 - 1763), the control of Pondicherry was always in a change. When the Bri3sh
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