Puducherry Liberation Day – November 1, 2025

History of Puducherry Liberation Day

On India’s southeast coast, the city of Puducherry has no recorded history that dates back to the beginning of time. Instead, Puducherry’s history is only documented following the Dutch, Portuguese, English, and French arrival.

The Pallava Kingdom of Kanchipuram controlled the Puducherry area during the fourth century A.D. Various southern dynasties ruled Puducherry over the following centuries, starting with the Chola of Thanjavur in the 10th century A.D., followed by the Pandya Kingdom in the 13th century. After a brief incursion by Muslim monarchs from the north, the Vijayanagar Empire ruled over practically all of India’s south until 1638, when the Sultan of Bijapur took control of Gingee.

The French East India Company established a trading center at Pondicherry in 1674. This colony later grew into the most important French base in India. Since the Dutch and British trading companies also wanted to do business with India, these European countries were embroiled in wars that spilled over into the Indian subcontinent. For the years that followed, Pondicherry had a frequent change of ownership. The Dutch conquered Puducherry in 1693, but the Treaty of Ryswick in 1699 returned it to France. The British permitted the French to keep their colonies in India when they took control of the nation in the late 1850s. Until 1954, Pondicherry, Mahe, Yanam, Karaikal, and Chandernagar were all part of French India.

The unification of France’s Indian territories with former British India was sparked by India’s independence in 1947. French India did not become a de jure member of the Indian Union until 1962. On November 1, 1954, the territories of French India were transferred to the Republic of India de facto. Puducherry then became a union territory and is now a part of India.