Yanam [French:
Yanaon] is a town in the
Indian union territory of
Puducherry, located in
Yanam district, which 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. For 200 years it was a French colony, and, though united with India in 1954, is still sometimes known as
French Yanam. It possesses a blend of French and Telugu culture prevailing in
Andhra Pradesh. During French rule, the Tuesday market (
mangalavaram santa) at Yanam was popular among
Telugu people in the
Madras Presidency who visited Yanam to buy foreign and smuggled goods during Yanam People's Festival, which is held in January. Also, after implementation of the
Sarda Act in
British India in 1929,
Andhra people came to Yanam to conduct
child marriages, which remained legal under the French administration. In 1936, Yanam's population was 5,220.