Aura of India: Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam: Puducherry's Regions and How to Reach

The Coringa river at Yanam, brown after rain, between banks of thick green trees

Photo: Adityamadhav83, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

The Godavari at Yanam in the evening, with the riverside walk filling up.

Puducherry is one territory in four towns, spread across three states, because that is where France once kept its trading posts.

Two districts, four regions

Officially, the Union Territory of Puducherry has two districts. Puducherry District covers the capital region and the two outlying units of Mahe and Yanam; Karaikal District covers Karaikal. On the ground, it is four separate towns: two on the Tamil coast, one on the Kerala coast and one in Andhra Pradesh's Godavari delta. Each speaks the language of the state around it.

The map comes from the French East India Company. It settled at Puducherry in 1674, then added Yanam in 1723 (lost, then taken again in 1731), Mahe in 1725 and Karaikal in 1739. India took over the administration of all four on 1 November 1954, and the treaty that made the transfer final was ratified on 16 August 1962. The capital region is covered in our Puducherry guide. The other three are quieter, and most visitors reach them from the state around them.

Karaikal: the Tamil delta coast

Karaikal lies 135 km south of Puducherry on the East Coast Road, a flat region of paddy fields where branches of the Kaveri reach the sea. Most visitors come for Thirunallar, 5 km west, where the Darbaranyeswarar temple holds the shrine of Saneeswaran, the planet Saturn. It is busiest on Saturdays and at Sani Peyarchi, when Saturn moves into a new sign, about every two and a half years. In town, the Karaikal Ammaiyar temple honours the only woman among the 63 Nayanmars, the Tamil poet-saints of Shiva. At its Mangani festival, on the full moon of the Tamil month of Aani (June or July), mangoes are thrown from the procession.

The beach sits by the Arasalar estuary, with a lighthouse and a boat house. Nagore's dargah, 10 km south, and the church at Velankanni, 26 km south, are just over the border in Tamil Nadu. Karaikal station has daily trains from Chennai, Bengaluru, Ernakulam, Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur; Tiruchirappalli airport is about 168 km by road.

Mahe: a French town in Malabar

Mahe is the smallest region, about 9 sq km at the mouth of the Mahe river, held by Kerala's Kannur district on three sides and Kozhikode on the fourth. It feels like the Kerala around it: Malayalam is spoken, and theyyam, the ritual dance in which performers become gods, is held at its shrines. Its landmark is the shrine of St Teresa of Avila, one of the oldest in India. The feast runs from 5 to 22 October; the main day is 15 October, when crowds fill the town.

A walkway follows the river bank to Azhimukham, where the river meets the sea. Mahe has its own station on the coastal railway. Thalassery is about 9 km away, Kannur airport 35 km, and Kozhikode 58 km.

Yanam: on the Godavari

Yanam covers about 30 sq km on the Gautami branch of the Godavari, where the small Coringa river joins it, inside Andhra Pradesh. It is a Telugu town, and the reason to come is the river: a long riverside path starts at Shivam Bath and runs past a lookout tower and gardens. St Ann's church and the Meesala Venkanna temple are the old landmarks.

Yanam has no railway. Kakinada station is about 26 km away, and Andhra Pradesh state buses on the Kakinada to Amalapuram route stop at Yanam about every fifteen minutes. Rajahmundry airport is about 80 km. The Coringa mangroves are outside Yanam, in Andhra Pradesh, on the Kakinada side.

Joining them to nearby trips

Few people travel between Puducherry's regions; it is easier to fold each into a trip through the state around it. Karaikal fits a week in the Kaveri delta: Kumbakonam is 64 km west and Thanjavur 103 km. Mahe fits the Malabar coast between Kozhikode and Kannur, and the theyyam season of north Kerala, mostly November to May. Yanam fits the Godavari delta, with Kakinada and Rajahmundry close by.

Districts at a glance

Puducherry (Puducherry District): the capital, the French Quarter and Auroville.
Karaikal (Karaikal District): a Tamil delta town, its beach and the Ammaiyar temple.
Thirunallar (Karaikal District): the Saturn shrine, busiest on Saturdays.
Mahe (Puducherry District, outlying unit): a river town in Malabar and its October feast.
Yanam (Puducherry District, outlying unit): a Telugu town on the Godavari.
Arasalar estuary (Karaikal District): the beach, the lighthouse and boat rides.

Four towns, three languages and one territory: the map of Puducherry is the map of where France once traded.

Plan your visit

Best season	October to March. The north-east monsoon brings heavy rain to Karaikal and Yanam from October to December; Mahe's heavy rain comes from June to September.
How to reach	Karaikal: trains from Chennai, Bengaluru, Ernakulam, Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur, or 135 km by road from Puducherry. Mahe: its own station, or Thalassery 9 km away; Kannur airport 35 km. Yanam: Kakinada station about 26 km; Rajahmundry airport about 80 km.
Getting around	Autos and local buses. Buses and autos cover the 5 km from Karaikal to Thirunallar; state buses link Yanam with Kakinada. Mahe is small enough to walk.
Where to stay	Karaikal town; Mahe town or Thalassery; Yanam town or Kakinada.
How long to spend	Half a day to a day for each region.

Open Yanam, Puducherry in Google Maps

Questions people ask

How many districts does Puducherry have?

Two: Puducherry District, which includes Mahe and Yanam, and Karaikal District. Together they make four separate regions.

Is Mahe in Kerala?

It lies on the Kerala coast between Kannur and Kozhikode, but it belongs to the Union Territory of Puducherry.

How do I reach Yanam?

Take a train to Kakinada, about 26 km away, then a state bus or taxi. The nearest airport is Rajahmundry, about 80 km.

When is the next Sani Peyarchi at Thirunallar?

Saturn changes sign about every two and a half years; the last was on 6 March 2026. Check the Karaikal district site for the next date.

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Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam: Puducherry's Regions and How to Reach