The earliest recorded history of the
municipality of Puducherry can be traced to the second century CE. The
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mentions a marketplace named
Poduke or Poduka (ch 60).
G. W. B. Huntingford suggested this might be a site about 2 miles from the modern Puducherry, which was possibly the location of
Arikamedu (now part of
Ariyankuppam). Huntingford noted that Roman pottery was found at Arikamedu in 1937. In addition,
archaeological excavations between 1944 and 1949 showed that it was "a trading station to which goods of Roman manufacture were imported during the first half of the 1st century" Subsequent investigation by Vimala Begley from 1989 to 1992 modified this assessment, and now place the period of occupation from the third or second century BCE to the eighth century CE. In 1674, the municipality of Pondicherry (Pondichéry) became a colony in the
French colonial empire. Together with
Chandernagor (already French since 1673),
Mahé (since 1721),
Yanam (
Yanaon) (since 1723),
Karaikal (Karikal) (since 1739) and
Masulipatam (1760), it formed the colony of
French India, under a single French governor in Pondicherry, although French rule over one or more of these enclaves was repeatedly interrupted by
British occupations. The territories of French India were completely transferred to the Republic of India
de facto on 1 November 1954, and
de jure on 16 August 1962, when French India ceased to exist, becoming the present Indian union territory of Pondicherry, combining four coastal enclaves. The fifth,
Chandannagar, merged with the state of
West Bengal in 1954. Immediately after the
de facto transfer, the area was renamed the 'State of Pondicherry' by the "French Establishments (Change of Name) Order, 1954" issued by the
Ministry of External Affairs of India. The State of Pondicherry continued to be under the direct control of the
Government of India under the aegis of the Ministry of External affairs until 31 August 1964. Meanwhile, with effect from 1 July 1963, the State of Pondicherry officially became the Union Territory of Pondicherry and after 31 August 1964 it came under the control of the Ministry of Home Affairs. In 2016,
Lt. Governor of Puducherry,
Kiran Bedi, made it a holiday as "De Jure Transfer Day." Since 2010,
de facto transfer day (i.e. 1 November) has been celebrated as Liberation day throughout Puducherry. In 2014, Liberation day was declared as a public Holiday. This initiative was taken shortly after the
NDA government came to power in 2014 and newly appointed Lt. Governor
A. K. Singh issued a notification regarding that decision of the central government. ==Geography==