Danish Fort , Tharangambadi (Travelogue)

Danish Fort or Tranquebar is 35 Kilometres north of Nagappattinam on the coast of Bay of Bengal situated in a small town of Tharamgambadi.  Tranquebar  means "place of the singing waves" in Danish and was a Danish colony from 1620 to 1845. The Danes landed at this place in 1620 AD and constructed fortifications on the coast at Tranquebar. It was a major trade center on the Coromandal coast for the danes till 1845 AD, and was later handed  to the English.  This fort was declared as a protected monument by the Department of Archaeology, Government of Tamilnadu in       1977 AD.

Construction of Fort dates back to 1620. Most parts of the fort have been reconstructed several times. The rampart wall is a fairly large four sided structure, with bastions at each cardinal point. A single storied building was constructed along three inner sides of the rampart, with barracks, warehouse, kitchen and jail. The rooms on the southern side remain in good condition, but the rooms on the western and northern sides have been substantially damaged. On the eastern side of the fort, there was a two storied building facing the sea. It was the main building of the fort.  The sea on the eastern and western side protects the fort. The fort was protected by a moat which has been completely destroyed over the years.

A visit to this place from Karaikal, made us awe at its architectural skills which existed during the earlier years and has stood many erosion and the major devastation, like that of December 2004 Tsunami.

Still standing like a rock, the Danish fort escaped the tsunami fury on December 26. Although the waves had reached the main road and washed away several coastal hamlets in Tranquebar for about a kilometre, killing about 700 people, the nearly four-century-old fort, which is just 100 metres away from the seashore, was not at affected, due to its huge wall built around.

The view of the Fort from the seashore

Along  the seashore lies a temple , which is crumbling due to the sea ingress. Maravarama Sundarapandian, a later Pandya King, constructed this temple called the Masilamani Natha temple in    1305 AD.

The Masilamani Temple 

At the vicinity from the seashore is the Zion Church on King’s Street, which was sanctified in 1701 and is the oldest Protestant church in India.  Its intricate ornamentation is reminiscent of the architecture of European churches.

View of the Church