It bears the name of Aayi - a 16th century courtesan who razed down her home and replaced it with a reservoir. To appease a passing king, angry at having mistaken her candle-lit residence for a holy place. It was from this lake that Napoleon's men quenched their thirst, some 300 years later. Napoleon, charmed by the story, ordered a monument to Aayi. 2nd century B.C. Some even believe Roman settlements existed.
Wine seems to have been a major import as excavated amphora jars suggest.
In return, textiles, precious stones and shell-jewellery left these shores. Moreover, you'll still find the amazing ruins of an 18th century French Jesuit Mission House here. It was abandoned in 1783. Ananda Ranga Pillai was the celebrated dubash of Dupleix, the governor of Pondicherry while it flourished under French glory. Pillai's compilation of diaries serve as a storehouse of information on 18th century French India.