Tharangambadi (Tranquebar)

Overview

Tharangambadi, called Tranquebar by its Danish founders, is a small coastal town in Mayiladuthurai district, Tamil Nadu, roughly 13 to 15 km north of Karaikal. Colonial history and quiet streets are the draw, and walking is most pleasant from November to February. The Tamil name is usually translated as the shore of singing waves.

It started in 1620, when Ove Gjedde, an envoy of the Danish crown, came to terms with the Thanjavur ruler Raghunatha Nayak, and the Danes opened their first trading post in India here. They paid a yearly tribute to the local king and stayed until 1845, when the settlement was sold to the British. Dansborg Fort, built from 1620 and run today by the Tamil Nadu archaeology department, is the centrepiece. Among forts the Danes built, only Kronborg in Denmark itself is larger. The museum inside holds porcelain, Danish manuscripts, weapons and stone sculptures, and it is closed on Fridays.

The streets around the fort repay a slow walk. The Zion Church, consecrated in 1701, is usually given as India's earliest Protestant church. The New Jerusalem Church dates from 1718. Landporten is the old town gate, and King Street is lined with colonial-era houses. The German Lutheran missionary Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg landed in 1705, translated scripture into Tamil and had the New Testament printed here in 1714.

Older than all of this is the Masilamaninathar Temple, a Shiva shrine dated to 1306 that stands about 300 metres from the fort and mixes Tamil and Chinese architectural touches.

Karaikal station, about 13 km away, is the closest rail stop, and Mayiladuthurai is a further option at about 28 to 31 km. Buses on the East Coast Road between Chennai and Velankanni pass through the town, and Chennai is about 285 km away. The nearest airport is Tiruchirappalli, with sources giving 143 to 172 km. Chidambaram, Poompuhar and Sirkazhi are among the towns with direct bus links.

Known for

A Danish fort begun in 1620, now a state-run museum