Puducherry

Puducherry demonstrates path-dependence in its most stubborn form. France held these four non-contiguous enclaves until 1954—seven years after British India's independence—and the colonial imprint persists in ways that shape daily life. French remains an official language. The Napoleonic Civil Code still governs property disputes. Street names in the Ville Blanche quarter retain their French designations. This is not nostalgia but institutional archaeology: legal frameworks, once established, prove remarkably difficult to dislodge.

The territory's formation reflects the geographic logic of colonial competition. France never controlled contiguous territory; instead, it accumulated trading posts where access to markets mattered more than territorial coherence. Puducherry district on the Coromandel Coast, Karaikal 150 kilometers south, Yanam on the Andhra coast, and Mahe on the Kerala shore—each enclave developed independently before integration. The 1954 de facto transfer and 1962 formal cession created a single administrative unit from fragments that shared only French administration. Today's Union Territory encompasses 492 square kilometers across three states.

Sri Aurobindo's arrival in 1910 initiated Puducherry's transformation from colonial backwater to spiritual destination. The ashram he founded with Mirra Alfassa now anchors a spiritual tourism economy that draws seekers worldwide. Auroville, the universal township established in 1968, adds experimental intentional community to the mix.

By 2026, Puducherry faces the classic heritage-tourism paradox: the very authenticity that attracts visitors erodes under tourist pressure. French colonial buildings require maintenance that exceeds government budgets. The ashram economy that replaced colonial trade now competes with beach resorts and bar districts. What persists is the founder effect of French administration—a legal and architectural substrate that continues shaping development patterns 70 years after French departure.