Karikal, city in the union territory of Pondicherry, on the Coromandel Coast of southeast India, on the Bay of Bengal, 241 km (150 mi) south of Chennai (formerly Madras). Situated on a low coastal plain in an area that is largely agricultural, Karikal has a hot, humid climate, with annual rainfall of about 1300 mm (about 50 in). French troops took the city by force in 1739, after the rajah of Tanjore (now Thanjavur), whom the French had supported in a private war, failed to cede the city peacefully. The British captured Karikal in 1765, but it was restored to the French in 1814. In 1947, following World War II (1939-1945), Karikal was reorganized as a free city within the French Union, and in 1954 it was transferred to India. Together with similar areas, it was ceded by France to India in 1956 and became part of the union territory of Pondicherry in 1962. Population (1991) 145,723 (1991) 61,875.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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