Mahe
Encyclopedia : M : MA : MAH : Mahe
- For other uses, see Mahe (disambiguation)}}}.
Mahé, also known as Mayyazhi, a former French colony in India, consists of a small town (9 km2) in the south of the country, on the Arabian Sea. The state of Kerala surrounds it on three sides. Administratively, Mahé forms part of the Union Territory (i.e directly administered by the Union/Federal government of India) of Pondicherry on the east coast. Mahé has two members (MLAs) in the Pondicherry Legislative Assembly: one from Mahé proper and one from Pallur.
Mahé had a population of 36 823 at the time of the 2001 census. The largest group of inhabitants speak Malayalam. The original name of Mahé, Mayyali, means "mouth of the black river".
The name Mahé originsted in honour of Bertrand François Mahé de La Bourdonnais, a key architect of French policy in India.
History
The French East India Company constructed a fort on the site of Mahé in 1724, after an accord concluded between André Mollandin and the raja Vazhunnavar of Badagara three years earlier. In 1741, Mahé de La Bourdonnais retook the town after a period of occupation by the Marathas.
Mahé remained under French jurisdiction until 13 June 1954, when it joined the Indian Union.
See also
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