Puducherry in a bid to get UNESCO World Heritage City tag; all you need to know

What makes a city a heritage city? Can any city become a heritage city? How is a heritage city different from any other city? These questions come to mind when we hear of places like Ahmedabad in Gujarat, a UNESCO World Heritage City. As per recent reports, the Union Territory of Puducherry is working towards acquiring that prestigious tag for itself. But what exactly is a heritage city?


It’s not the development of some of the monuments and places within a city that qualifies for a city to get the tag of a UNESCO World Heritage City. For this, the entire city and everything that’s in it is developed in a way that its rich heritage and history that is vital to the identity of the locals is maintained.



Take for instance, the Walled City of Ahmedabad or the Old Ahmedabad. It’s a 600-year-old city, spread over an area of 5.43 square kilometres, where people continue to reside in centuries-old wooden residences. There are approximately 600 pols or neighbourhoods within the Walled City. Now think of Puducherry.



The erstwhile French colony, Puducherry is a fascinating blend of Tamil and colonial essence. To get the World Heritage City tag, these two will need to be conserved at the same time.




When you visit the old French quarters in Puducherry, seeing foreign faces is a common thing. But not all foreign faces belong to the tourists. A majority of them are locals here, residing in Puducherry for generations. Apart from the people, it's the old French architecture and the vibe that draws thousands of tourists.



As per UNESCO’s Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, “UNESCO takes into consideration not just the built heritage, but also intangible heritage, such as the cultural value, of the place.”



So when we talk about Puducherry, is it just the ‘white town’ or the region’s own Tamil history too?



It is imperative to note that the present-day Puducherry is a refurbished town. Both British and French built the present-day town after completely changing what old Pondicherry used to be.




Earlier, there used to be something called ‘black’ and ‘white’ towns or the Tamil and French quarters. Even after centuries, the Tamils and French simply continued to live in their respective quarters. It’s these two completely different worlds that make Puducherry such an incredible place.



Time stood still for some time for the French side while the Tamil side continued to get busy, which eventually led to the loss of many old Tamil traditional houses. Now only a handful of these centuries old Tamil homes are left. It’s also true that the French side is developing fast with thousands of tourists visiting daily.


Can Puducherry maintain its architectural and intangible heritage and get the prestigious tag of a UNESCO World Heritage City?