Pondicherry (now known as Puducherry) is the capital of Pondicherry Union Territory, a former French colony. The French ruled this territory for 300 years, and today, it stands as a living monument of the French culture in India. It is on the east coast, about 160 km south of Chennai, on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. Pondicherry is a unique place. Many feel that it has a distinct spiritual vibration