Hello Hemalakshmi,

No, JEE Mains is not mandatory just because you are a resident of Pondicherry. Nevertheless, if you intend to gain admission into most engineering colleges/ Institutions across India including those in Pondicherry, you will most likely have to take and qualify in JEE Mains or any entrance tests which may be approved by the institution or college as the case may be. Certain colleges might also have their specified entrance criteria or admission by way of state-level entrance exams or management quota, but JEE Mains is the extremely primary national level engineering entrance and is thus widely used.