Location
Yanam is situated on the eastern coast of India, in the district of East Godavari, Andhra Pradesh. It is built at the place where the rivers Coringa and Godavari meet and is bounded on the east and south by these rivers. The Godavari discharges itself into sea around 14 km south of Yanam town. It lies on the spot where the Coringa river and Godavari river separate. The total area of the region is 30 sq. km.
History
Yanam was once a French colony and is presently a part of the Union Territory of Pondicherry. The French presence is seen in the stained glass work of the local church dating back to 1769 and at the French cemetery. Yanam has its share of fascinating stories about French ghosts haunting the French colony.
The ancient church has a plaque paying tribute to a young French soldier by the name of Victor Simonel who died fighting heroically in a battle at the tender age of 22. This heightens the slightly melancholic mood of the place. Devotees stream in regularly offering prayers. The bright red French cap of the traffic policeman adds a sense of romance to all this.
