Puducherry facts: capital, state animal, bird, flower and state day
Puducherry at a glance
- Capital
- Puducherry
- State day
- 1 November (Puducherry Liberation Day)
- State animal
- Indian palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum)
- State bird
- Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)
- State flower
- Cannonball flower (Couroupita guianensis)
- State tree
- Bael (Aegle marmelos)
Sources: Capitals: Government of India. State symbols and state days: Wikipedia (lists of Indian state animals, birds, flowers and trees, and List of Indian state days), retrieved October 2026.
Key facts about Puducherry: its capital, languages, government and courts, and the main figures from the Census of India 2011, the most recent census.
Key facts
| Capital | Puducherry |
|---|---|
| Status | Former French territories, transferred to India in practice on 1 November 1954 and formally on 16 August 1962; a union territory with its own elected Legislative Assembly and Chief Minister since 1963 |
| Regions | Four districts in separate places: Puducherry and Karaikal on the Tamil Nadu coast, Mahe in Keralam and Yanam in Andhra Pradesh |
| Official languages | Tamil, Telugu (in Yanam) and Malayalam (in Mahe); English and French are also used |
| Area | 490 sq km |
| Districts (2026) | 4 |
| Legislative Assembly seats | 30 elected (and up to 3 nominated members) |
| Lok Sabha seats | 1 |
| Rajya Sabha seats | 1 |
| High Court | Madras High Court |
Census 2011
| Population | 1,247,953 (12.48 lakh) |
|---|---|
| Density | 2,547 people per sq km |
| Living in towns and cities | 68.3 per cent |
| Sex ratio | 1,037 women per 1,000 men |
| Literacy rate (age 7 and over) | 85.85 per cent (men 91.26, women 80.67) |
Specialties of Puducherry
Villianur terracotta
Potters in Villianur, near Puducherry town, make terracotta figures of gods, horses and other animals, and pots and lamps, by hand from the local clay.
Tirukanur papier-mache
Craftspeople in Tirukanur, in Puducherry's villages, shape dolls, masks and figures from paper pulp, then paint them in bright colours.
Sources
Population figures: Census of India 2011, Final Population Totals. Area: Census of India 2011. Seats and courts: Election Commission of India and the Government of Puducherry. Specialties: Villianur terracotta (Geographical Indication: Villianur Terracotta Works); Tirukanur papier-mache (Geographical Indication: Tirukanur Papier Mache Craft).
Reference links
- Government of Puducherry: official portal
- National Portal of India: Government of India
- Election Commission of India: constituencies and elections
- Local Government Directory: official list of districts, blocks and villages
- Geographical Indications registered in India, state by state: Geographical Indications Registry, as on 31 December 2025 (PDF)
- One District One Product: each district's chosen products