There�s a quaint little town located on the east coast of India, near the state of Tamilnadu in southern India. The French arrived here in the 17th century and settled here, as did the British at various places in India. This French settlement is known as Puducherry today, the name change having been effected in 2006. The tiny union territory is one of the important tourist destinations in south India. Tourism in Puducherry is ever growing with a large number of existing tourist attractions and many others coming up. Touristplacesinindia.com offers you comprehensive tourist information on Puducherry, including its history, tourist destinations, accommodation, and access.

History of Puducherry
The history of the area goes back to the 1st century AD. The archaeological site of Arikamedu located near Puducherry has revealed many Roman artifacts, indicating a thriving trade between this once important port area and ancient Europe. In the years to come, many important dynasties ruled the region, including the Cholas, the mighty Vijayanagar Empire, and the sultanate of Bijapur. The French arrived in the 17th century and had to face stiff competition from the British and other European forces to keep Puducherry with them. They named this place Pondicherry, a variation of Puducherry, which meant �new settlement� in Tamil. After Independence of India, Pondicherry continued to be a French colony, although protests grew stronger in favor of unification with India. Finally, in 1962, the French government formally ceded Pondicherrry to India and it was made a Union Territory in1963. The name was reverted back to the original vernacular form in September 2006.

Districts
The most interesting fact about Puducherry is that three of its districts, namely Puducherry, Karaikal, and Yanam, are located on the east coast, while the fourth, Mahe, is located on the west coast adjoined by the state of Kerala. The total area of Puducherry is 492 square kilometers.

Tourist destinations in Puducherry
The tours to Puducherry take visitors to a number of beautiful tourist spots that include historic places, places of scenic beauty, and important religious spots. While gathering tourist information on Puducherry, you must find out more about the famous tourist spots of the place. The most important among these include the promenade, the government square, Sri Aurobindo ashram, Auroville, botanical garden, Romain Rolland Library, Puducherry Museum, and the Sacred Heart church, apart from many temples, churches, mosques and other heritage buildings.

• Hotel De L'orient,
• Heritage Villa Helena,
• Sterling Swamimalai
• Savoy Hotel.

• Hotel Ajanta Sea View
• Hotel Surguru
• Anandham Residency
• Hotel Aruna
• Executive Inn
• Hotel Ashok (ITDC)