"MAHE-a French Window to God´s Own Country?"

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I recently did a whirlwind trip to the beautiful and magical Mahe, which is a tiny enclave of Ponicherry (on the east cost of India and 630 kms away) with a heavy French influence. In fact this former French town covering approximately 9 kms and have a population of around 36,000 people is an incredibly peaceful place. This petit town is situated on the west coast of Indian peninsula between 11 degrees 42´ and 11 degrees and 43´ Northern Latitude and between 75 degrees 31´ and 75 degrees and 33´ Eastern Longitude, just between badagara and Thalassery. It is 58 kms away from Kozhikode, 24 kms from Kannur and 8 kms from Thalassery and is a busy trade centre.

Historical facts points out to Mahe´s interesting past. Originally the name of the region was ´Mayyazhi´ which means black river mouth. The French Commodore de pardallion, who re-captured Mahe from the local rulers changed the name to Mahe in respect of the French Naval captain, Mahe De Labourdonnais whose skill and enterprise was mainly the cause of the victory then. This interesting place has a history of two and a half centuries of French rule. The first representative of the French East India Company, Mr Mollandin landed here in 1721 and immediately entered into an agreement with the local ruler (known from the French records as Bayanor of Bargaret, or the ruler of Badagara) to establish a trading centre on the estuary of river Mahe. In 1724 the French built a fort here. Afterwards the region changed hands between them and their rivals the British (who came to the picture in 1725) a few times. By the second decade of the 18th century the French re-established their authority here. When India became independent in 1947, there were repercussions here also. On the 20th October 1948 the union flag was hoisted over the administrative office in the presence of thousands of people. Messengers were sent to the Government of India to say that the French admimistration has collapsed and requesting Government of India to take over the administration. However on 26th October 1948 a cruiser of the French Navy arrived at Mahe. They insisted on lowering the Indian Flag and re-hoisting the French Flag. This was done and the Cruisers which arrived for the purpose left suddenly on 31.10.1948. All were silent till 1954. The movement for freedom intensified in 1954 and on the 1st of November 1954 Mahe was handed over to the Government of India by the French.

Coming back to the present one can say that everything here at Mahe is either on the waterfront or near the beach. A statue of ´Marienne, symbolic of the ideals of the French Revolution - liberte´, equalite´ et fraternite´ can be seen at the beautiful Tagore Park right next to the Government Buildings (1855). The architectural style of the French is much in evidence here including the magnificent Government Buildings. This style blends with the local styles give the streets a special look. Another attractive building is Mahe´s St Theresa´s Church which is famed all over Malabar for the efficacy of prayers said here. People of all religions decend on the Church for the fete (October 5-22) considered especially auspicious. There is a French built St George´s Fort at Cherukallu which provides spectacular views of Mahe and its envi´rons.

Above all what attracted me most was the warmth of Maheans whom I met during my brief visit. They were welcoming, helpful and wonderfully nice. I was able to meet a wide group of people including politicians, businessmen, fishermen, hotel owners and the local policemen who were vastly different from their counterparts in rest of India with their strong French connection. This place is only starting to cater for the incoming tourists now and the infra structure is only slowly being organised. Even with the limited resources Mahe still paints a wonderful and colourful picture for the visitors. At the current pace I have no doubt that Mahe will rapidly become a sought after tourist destination on the Malabar coast. It defnitely offers a French flavour to the God´s Own Country. Enjoy your holidays and take care
Cheers,
Kris Kandath

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Photos

Government Buildings, Mahe
This is the famous Mahe goverment offices built by the French years ago

St Theresa's Church, Mahe
This is the famous church in Mahe

Policeman in Mahe!
This was taken at the Mahe police station. Its easy to see the strong french influence in the uniform worn!

Fishing in Mayyazhi river, Mahe!
This was a fisherman fishing in Mayyazhi river, Mahe

Mahe light house !
Well known light house in Mahe

Fisherman heading to Arabian Sea, Mahe!
These are a group of fishermen who are heading to the sea for their catch.