A stunning white majestic gateway on the ancient defensive wall on King’s Street, sporting the Danish royal seal and coat of arms on its pediment, and the soothing sea breeze pull tourists to the ozone-rich shores of the Bay of Bengal at Tharangambadi. Here, the legacy of Danish stands tall.
Tharangambadi, which means the land of singing waves, was formerly called Tranquebar. This coastal town in the present-day Mayiladuthurai district was the seat of the Danish East India Company, which ruled the enclave for more than two centuries.
Initial attempts fail
According to the information available at Tranquebar Maritime Museum, in 1618, Danish King Christian IV sent a few merchant and naval ships, under the command of Admiral Ove Gjedde, to establish a trading post in the Indian Ocean region.
The initial attempts to open a trading centre at Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) failed, but the Danish Admiral managed to get permission from Maharaja of Thanjavur Raghunatha Nayak for establishing a trading post on the Coromandel Coast.
In 1620, a piece of land at Tharangambadi was ceded to the Danish. This marked the first direct contact between Denmark and South Asia. Soon after acquiring the land, the Danish also got the right to administer and fortify Tranquebar for yearly tribune and built the massive Fort Dansborg, locally called the Danish Fort. It is the second largest Danish Fort in the world, next to Fort Kronborg in Denmark.
The citadel was built with bricks. The main door faces north. The two-storey trapezoidal fort has large walls and ramparts with rows of rooms such as warehouse, kitchen, poultry room, and quarters for soldiers.
The archival records in the museum mention that during the 225 years of Danish rule, thousands of Danish merchants settled at Tranquebar and carried out a flourishing trade with China and a few other countries. They never returned to Denmark; they died and were buried in the town.
Territory sold to the British
As the British consolidated their power in the 19th Century, it became tough for the Danish to possess a small enclave and trade independently. The sale of the fort and the territory to the British in 1845 marked the end of Danish rule in India. The place gradually lost its significance during British rule.
“After Independence, the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department took control of the fort in 1977 and established a thematic museum in 1979 to display artefacts, remnants, and antiquities of Danish rule. Excavations were carried out at the fort in 2001 and 2002 near the northern entrance. They exposed materials such as brickbats, lime, and earth-filling yellowish soil, locally referred to as Thavittu Mann, used for the construction of a massive four-metre-high two ramparts around the fort,” District Archaeological Officer K. Vasanthakumar said.
Drop bridge found
In March 2008, another phase of excavation for nearly 20 days revealed the presence of a Danish-period drop bridge near the fort entrance. Five trenches were dug up to the level of the moat near the main gate. They helped to unearth the wooden-pillared drop bridge and three platforms paved with brick and mortar. The other items unearthed were Chinese pottery and a smoking pipe made of Danish clay. Red and black ware pottery, with colourful floral designs on the exterior and interior surfaces, were also found, Mr. Vasanthakumar added.
“Giving a facelift to the Danish fort and other associated monuments in Tranquebar by retaining their archaeological and heritage value remains a priority of the district administration,” Collector A.P. Mahabharathi said.
The Archaeology and Tourism Departments have been renovating the fort and enhancing tourism infrastructure at a total cost of nearly ₹6.67 crore. Steps are being taken to make the fort and its surroundings an iconic tourism destination by developing the coast and creating infrastructure for recreation, he added.
Along with Fort Dansborg, some of the houses, streets, old churches and entrance gates stand testimony to Danish rule in India. They bring out the economic, cultural, social, and political contacts between the two countries. The remnants of the historical structures attract history enthusiasts and tourists from worldwide.
