About Yanam

Yanam or Yanaon is a town in the Union territory of Puducherry; it is located in Yanam district. Yanam has some 300 years of history and is well known as French Yanam even now although it was transferred to India in 1954. It forms a 30 km² enclave in the district of East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh. It has a population of 32,000, most of whom speak Telugu and, to a very small extent, Tamil. Yanam was a unique blend of French and Telugu culture prevailing Andhra Pradesh. During French rule, Tuesday market (mangalavaram santa) at Yanam was very popular among nearby Telugu people in Madras Presidency who used to visit in order to buy foreign and smuggled goods.