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History and heritage
The history of Puducherry goes back to Roman times, but the town really came into its own with the arrival of the French in 1674. It was they who built most of the town we see today, during the two and half centuries they occupied it. Earlier, in 1497, the Portuguese had discovered a route to India and established a factory in Puducherry at the beginning of the sixteenth century. But they were compelled to leave by the ruler of Gingee, a nearby province. In 1674, Francois Martin, the first French governor, started o build Puducherry and transformed it from a small fishing village into a flourishing port-town. Most of the trade with France was through this port. Although the Dutch took over the town in 1693, France managed to regain the land four years later. French rule came to an end in 1954, when Puducherry became a union territory of independent India.
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