Old Mahe (1721-1817) According to Eighteenth Century French Plans

FREE Delivery
Express Shipping
$32
Express Shipping: Guaranteed Dispatch in 24 hours
Quantity
Delivery Ships in 1-3 days
Item Code: NAL452
Publisher: Institut Francais De Pondichery
Author: Jean Deloche
Language: English
Edition: 2013
ISBN: 9788184701937
Pages: 43 (Throughout Color Illustrations)
Cover: Paperback
Other Details 8.5 inch x 11.0 inch
Weight 200 gm
Fully insured
Fully insured
Shipped to 153 countries
Shipped to 153 countries
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
100% Made in India
100% Made in India
23 years in business
23 years in business
Book Description
About the Book

Mahe territory surrounded on all sides by Kerala is officially a part of the Union Territory of Puducherry. Situated at a distance of 6 km south-east of Thalassery, it is today an attractive little town densely covered with coconut trees. When it was a French settlement in the 18th century, it represented for a time a place of considerable importance and trade, but having fallen thrice into the hands of the British, the settlement suffered immensely before it was returned to France as a small colony, an enclave within British India.

There is no comprehensive history of this trading post. Fortunately the unique collection of maps plans preserved in French Archives allows us to present a full picture of the urban development of the town from the date of settlement to the restoration of territory. These different plans are invaluable: they show the topographical substratum and the natural features of the surroundings, and give us much new information on the old settlement which is not found in French and English literary sources.

Introduction

Mahe territory (town and villages), surrounded on all sides by Kerala (Figs 1 & 2), is officially a part of the Union Territory of Puducherry. Situated at a distance of 6 km south-east of Thalassery, the attractive little town of Mahe lies on a river estuary, with some picturesque small hills. There is a spacious harbour and a rocky bar, and the town is densely covered with coconut trees.

When it was a French settlement in the 18th century, it represented for a time a place of considerable importance and trade but it fell three times into the hands of the British, and the settlement suffered immensely before it was returned to France as a small colony, an enclave within British India. There is no comprehensive history of this trading post.

In 1917, A. Martineau published his famous monograph on Les origines de Mahe de Malabar covering the period 1720-1738. In 1934, 1936, E. Gaudart brought out the Catalogue des manuscrits des anciennes archives de l’ Inde francaise, which concern the Mahe settlement from 1739 to 1808 and from 1816 to 1855.

Since then, no new investigations have been carried out regarding the crucial periods of the old town development. As the unique collection of maps and plans preserved in French Archives is available for consultation on CD or via the Internet, it is now possible to present a full picture of the urban development of the town from 1721to 1817, i.e. from the date of settlement to the restoration of territory at the beginning of the 19th century.

These different plans, showing the topographical substratum and the natural features of the surroundings, give us much new information on the old settlement which is not found in French and English literary sources, are invaluable.

Most of the plans appear to have been made with care and relative accuracy, but, if we want to make a rigorous study of the old town, we have to locate them on a modern plan and produce a scientific representation of the different elements found in them.

As all the constructions of Mahe, civil and military, were destroyed by the British, the ancient toponymy has been partly forgotten and it is difficult to locate the various constructions of Old Mahe. We therefore need reliable landmarks in order to superimpose the old plans on modern ones.

That said, we have identified some of the distinguishing landscape features:

-to the north of the river, between the Little and Great Kallayi hills (petit and Grand Calay), Fort Saint-Georges was located on an elevation called at that time Montagne verte and today Georges kunnu;

-to the south of the river, the main landmark is the new Sainte-Therese d’ Avila church, built on the site of the old structure, and, close to this building, the area called Maliyamel Paramba, also known as La colonie or Ancien gouvernement, which corresponds to the Hotel de la direction, the Government house;

-to the east of the settlement, Fort Conde and Fort Dauphin crowned the two hills of Korakuruppaludekkunnu (Caragouroup), on the site of the present Hindu cremation ground and Tamantakkunnu (Tamantacounou), today called Aspatrikkunnu, situated on the site of the present Government hospital;

-the Rock Battery (Batterie des roches) was built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the coastal area today known as Parakkal, the exact location of which could not be ascertained, since the place is densely populated: these defence works-the Fort Conde, Fort Dauphin and the Rock Battery-marked

Contents

Introduction1
IEarly Stages (1720-1728)5
IIMahe (1728-1761): Urban Expansion and Defensive Works13
IIIMahe (1728-1761): Urban Expansion and Major Constructions19
IVMahe (1761-1778): Decline and Reconstruction of the Town24
VMahe (1778-1817): Decay and Misery32
Conclusion: Restoration of the Territory to the French35
Bibliography38
Illustrations39

Sample Pages







Frequently Asked Questions
  • Q. What locations do you deliver to ?
    A. Exotic India delivers orders to all countries having diplomatic relations with India.
  • Q. Do you offer free shipping ?
    A. Exotic India offers free shipping on all orders of value of $30 USD or more.
  • Q. Can I return the book?
    A. All returns must be postmarked within seven (7) days of the delivery date. All returned items must be in new and unused condition, with all original tags and labels attached. To know more please view our return policy
  • Q. Do you offer express shipping ?
    A. Yes, we do have a chargeable express shipping facility available. You can select express shipping while checking out on the website.
  • Q. I accidentally entered wrong delivery address, can I change the address ?
    A. Delivery addresses can only be changed only incase the order has not been shipped yet. Incase of an address change, you can reach us at [email protected]
  • Q. How do I track my order ?
    A. You can track your orders simply entering your order number through here or through your past orders if you are signed in on the website.
  • Q. How can I cancel an order ?
    A. An order can only be cancelled if it has not been shipped. To cancel an order, kindly reach out to us through [email protected].
Add a review
Have A Question

For privacy concerns, please view our Privacy Policy