Yanaon

Yanaon (French: [janaˈɔ̃], Telugu: [jaːnaːm], Tamil: [eːnaːm]) was one of the five principal settlements of French India between 1731 and 1954. It was referred to in British records as Yanam.

The French in their earlier records does mention their interest in establishing trade in the Northern Circars, which lie in the coastal regions of the Hyderabad sultanate. The Northern circars are very important as they sway a big influence in the court of Deccan Subah. This Subah is indeed the most important among all other provinces of the Mughal empire in the Indian peninsula. The Mughal Empire considers Deccan as their principal power. In some old records, it was mentioned as Ayanaon, a big village in the Circar of Rajamindri, situated along the Ingiram river. This French establishment very well flourished before the setback and failures of the French during the Seven Years' War. From this town and its surroundings, beautiful towels are manufactured. These towels are referred as guinées du Nord. As per the 1783 report by French, "one judges the fineness of this cloth by the number of Conjons...These guineas of Yanaon were made of 'roui' Cotton which has very long threads" (sic).

Apart from the above political reason, the areas in and around Yanaon were very fertile and the textile industry flourished. The English and Dutch also established many colonies in the Circars of Rajamundry and Ellore. In these circars, the English had colonies in Draksharama (1633), Veeravasaram (1634), Narsapuram/Madapollam (1679), Injaram (1708), Coringa (1759), Neelapalli (1751), Bendamurlanka (1751) and the Dutch made their presence in Palakollu (1613), Jagannathapuram (1734).

The Subah of Deccan (i.e. Hyderabad) had 22 Circars and Rajamundry circar had 17 paraganas comprising 24 mahals in it with Injaram being on them.

In the west of Yanam, there are still Nīlikunḍīlu (Indigo wells). People say that the Dutch constructed a fort here. It is being called by locals as "saali kota" because previously weavers (Saalivandru) used to weave clothes. Some people believe that the Dutch used to keep their currency, minted in the mint at Neelapalli, in this fort. The Dutch were very active during the seventeenth century and by the start of the eighteen century, their presence in India became very nominal. The records office of Madras presidency do mention some file regarding Yanam Dutch settlements when mentioning the Godavari district records (Yanaon is an enclave in East Godavari district).

As per British records, the nearest Dutch settlements to Yanaon are Draksharam and Jaggernaikpoeram. At Injaram, a whopping number of 2000 weavers worked for the Dutch and around 700 for the English. As the textile industry flourished in Godavari districts where the French colony of Yanaon is an enclave, perhaps the Dutch may have made some presence in Yanaon as well. The Dutch factors in Draksharama refer to the villages of Dulla and Vemagiri as being particularly important sources of cloth. Perhaps they may have some trade relationship with the weavers of Yanaon. The Dutch must have left Yanaon well before the French arrival in 1723.

It is not known exactly when the French founded Yanaon before 1723. It was assumed that Yanaon did not exist as a Human settlement before 1706 as that area was densely forested and got ravaged by a severe cyclone in 1706 as narrated by an eye-witness Gollapoondi Nagichitty (Gollapudi Nagishetty). Thus, unlike other major French settlements in India, the year when French got sovereignty (i.e.circa 1750) is usually mentioned as the year of establishment in some French records. However, there is an old Vishnu temple located in the rue Vichenou of Yanaon and popular belief is that it was built many centuries ago (i.e. well before French presence). However there two more nearby villages along the mouths of Godavari in Andhra Pradesh that bear the similar name. They are Surasani Yanam (S. Yanam) in Uppalaguptam Mandal and Chirra Yanam in Katrenikona mandal. The name Yanaon may have come from the word Inam.

The main colonial history of Yanam starts in the early 18th century. French agent M. Courton was resident since 1721 at the French Colony of Masulipatam and played a major role in the establishment of the French presence in Yanaon. As per the letter dated 24 January 1723 by M. Courton to the Superior Council of French India at Pondichéry, it was mentioned that he purchased some land by the Godavari River, near the (Paragana of) Ingiron-Yanaon to establish a magasin (i.e. trading post). Its affairs were supervised by the French colony Masulipatam, which was by then already an important colony for European powers (English, Dutch, and French). French trade got permitted at Masulipatam by a firm from the King of Golconda dated 15 October 1669. In 1687, the Mughal empire annexed Golconda and later the Deccan subah came under the rule of its governor Mubariz Khan who ruled from 1712 until 1724. The establishment of Yanam roughly coincided with the cession of Deccan Subah from Mughal Empire and forming the Hyderabad sultanate right after the 1724 Battle of Shakar Kheda.