Puducherry, original name Putucceri, formerly (until 2006)
Pondicherry, also spelled PondichéryAdministrative building of
the Pondicherry Engineering College, Puducherry, India.Jay
SivagnanameEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc.union territory of
India. It was formed in 1962 out of the four former colonies of
French India: Pondicherry (now Puducherry) and Karaikal along
India’s southeastern Coromandel Coast, surrounded by Tamil Nadu
state; Yanam, farther north along the eastern coast in the delta
region of the Godavari River, surrounded by Andhra Pradesh
state; and Mahe, lying on the western Malabar Coast, surrounded
by Kerala state. The territory’s capital is the city of
Puducherry in the Puducherry sector, just north of Cuddalore.
The original name of the territory, Putucceri, is derived from
the Tamil words putu (“new”) and ceri (“village”). The French
corrupted this to Pondichéry (English: Pondicherry), by which it
was called until its name was officially changed to Puducherry
in 2006. Area 190 square miles (49