{"id":8448,"date":"2023-09-14T13:48:34","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T13:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/14\/a-trip-back-in-time-to-tranquebar-denmarks-forgotten-outpost-in-india\/"},"modified":"2023-09-14T13:48:34","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T13:48:34","slug":"a-trip-back-in-time-to-tranquebar-denmarks-forgotten-outpost-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/14\/a-trip-back-in-time-to-tranquebar-denmarks-forgotten-outpost-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"A trip back in time to Tranquebar, Denmark\u2019s forgotten outpost in India"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the long history of colonial rule in Asia, the shadow of Denmark does not loom large. <\/p>\n

It would be fair to say that few Indians and even fewer Danes are aware that this\u00a0northern European nation had a foothold in India from 1620 to 1845. That foothold was\u00a0Tranquebar, a small trading outpost far down eastern India\u2019s Coromandel Coast. <\/p>\n

Though it\u2019s now a nondescript town in Tamil Nadu state <\/strong>called Tharangambadi,\u00a0just 120 kilometers\u00a0(72 miles) south of\u00a0famed French outpost Puducherry, traces of Danish rule\u00a0remain\u00a0tantalizingly evident. <\/p>\n

A prime example is the Bungalow on the Beach, a beautifully restored old colonial building on the Bay of Bengal seafront that was originally used as a\u00a0courthouse during\u00a0Danish\u00a0times. Years later, when the British arrived, it was\u00a0converted into an official residence. <\/p>\n

Today, it\u2019s a charming hotel. <\/p>\n

Restoration efforts began in 2004 and it opened\u00a0to guests\u00a0in 2006 under the stewardship of the Neemrana Group, which runs a chain of luxury boutique hotels in India. <\/p>\n

The hotel has only eight rooms, each named for\u00a0a member of\u00a0Danish royalty, and evokes a strong feeling of nostalgia with high ceilings, wooden floors and antique furniture. <\/p>\n

The top suite \u2013 the Crown Prince of Denmark \u2013 offers a nod to its history. Accessible via a spiral staircase with wide,\u00a0wooden steps, the comfortable\u00a0room features\u00a0a large four-poster bed with mosquito netting, a planter\u2019s lounge chair, a wooden writing desk and a narrow but modern bathroom. <\/p>\n

However, the hotel\u2019s unique selling point is the spacious balcony that runs right around the building, offering a stupendous view of the ocean. <\/p>\n

At night,\u00a0the Bungalow on the Beach\u00a0lights up brightly, standing like\u00a0a\u00a0beacon on the shore. Meals are served downstairs on the patio adjacent to the large garden, including a wide selection of delicious regional South Indian and European specialties. <\/p>\n

The ethos of the Neemrana Group has been to discover and restore old buildings and structures which, in the words of co-founder Aman Nath,\u00a0\u201care uniquely located, to imagine the life and laughter within and to make the dead past come to life again.\u201d <\/p>\n

Historical buildings near the hotel include the\u00a0old Dansborg\u00a0Fort\u00a0(more on that later),\u00a0and just beyond the hotel\u2019s private swimming pool and right on the rocks is the 700-year-old Masilamani Nathar temple,\u00a0built in 1306 by a king of the Pandya dynasty. <\/p>\n

This colorful structure,\u00a0which pre-dated the Danish arrival, combines\u00a0elements of Chinese architectural design with traditional building techniques, an indication of the influence of the Chinese merchants who were frequent visitors to India at the time. <\/p>\n

The accidental discovery of Tranquebar<\/h2>\n

Why did the\u00a0Danes call their\u00a0new\u00a0settlement \u201cTranquebar?\u201d According to historians, they were\u00a0unable to pronounce the tongue-twister native name of Tharangambadi, which translates\u00a0to\u00a0\u201cland of the singing waves.\u201d (The town has since returned to using Tharangambadi as its official name.) <\/p>\n

But the fact that the Danes even set foot in India\u00a0in the first place was a bit of an\u00a0accident. <\/p>\n

It all started when\u00a023-year-old naval commander Ove Gedde set out from Lisbon in November 1618 under the flag of the Danish East India Company,\u00a0with the blessings (and financing) of King Christian IV. <\/p>\n

His mission\u00a0was to\u00a0aid the Emperor of Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka), who was under siege by the Portuguese,\u00a0and\u00a0in exchange secure\u00a0trading rights for Denmark. <\/p>\n

But by the time\u00a0Gedde\u00a0arrived in early 1620,\u00a0after an eventful journey around the Cape of Good Hope, during which he lost two-thirds of his 300 soldiers in battle with pirates or disease, the Portuguese were in full control. <\/p>\n

Disappointed that his mission had failed, Gedde and his small fleet of three schooners and two frigates drifted up the Coromandel Coast until they dropped anchor at Tharangambadi. <\/p>\n

He quickly struck a deal with the Indian ruler at the time, the equally young Raghunatha Nayak of Tanjore state, to lease a parcel of land and\u00a0obtain\u00a0exclusive trading rights in exchange for a tribute of Rs 3,000 ($37) per year. <\/p>\n

\n

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And so, in November 1620, two years after Gedde had set sail from his homeland, the\u00a0Danish outpost of\u00a0Tranquebar was born. <\/p>\n

The Dane\u00a0immediately set about building a small fort right on the beach, facing out to sea.\u00a0Called Dansborg, it was meant\u00a0to house the first Danish inhabitants. <\/p>\n

By Indian standards, the still-standing fort is unimpressive. Located next to the Bungalow on the Beach, it\u2019s only\u00a0two stories high and quite weather-beaten by the wind and the waves. <\/p>\n

But it is the most important landmark of Danish rule in India and at its peak was the second most important Danish castle in the world after Kronborg, which guarded the sound that separates Denmark and Sweden. <\/p>\n

Dansborg\u00a0was built in the Scandinavian military style with stone walls and mounted cannons, taking the\u00a0form of a large trapezoid containing a substantial landscaped garden. <\/p>\n

Today, one can enjoy a pleasant walk along its ramparts, which offer superb views of the Coromandel seascape. <\/p>\n

The main building of the fort houses a small museum where the barracks used to be. On display are interesting documents, including a copy of the sale deed between the Danes and the British, old maps of the town and a collection of miniature Danish ships that docked at Tranquebar. <\/p>\n

Expanding the Danish footprint<\/h2>\n

Though\u00a0the Danes had a signed treaty with Nayak, the latter proved to be a fickle ally. Constant\u00a0waves of\u00a0depredations from\u00a0Nakak\u2019s\u00a0forces led\u00a0them\u00a0to fortify Tranquebar with a wall, a moat and several cannon towers. <\/p>\n

Feeling more secure, the\u00a0Danes\u00a0moved out of the Dansborg\u00a0Fort and built several stately homes in the European style to house officers and civil servants. <\/p>\n

Gradually,\u00a0the\u00a0section of town nearest to the fort began to assume a European character with a grid\u00a0street plan, Protestant churches and schools. <\/p>\n

The only access to the town was controlled by the Land\u2019s Gate, an unpretentious white stone structure bearing the coat of arms and insignia of the King of Denmark, which is the first thing one sees when entering Tharangambadi\u00a0now. <\/p>\n

The Danes also realized that they needed an industrial hinterland to make their trading post viable so,\u00a0when they renegotiated the treaty in 1670, they acquired additional villages and minor districts for a total land area of 32 square kilometers. <\/p>\n

The workshops in this expanded territory churned out cotton textiles for export to the European market in addition to the traditional cargo of pepper, cardamom, cloves and other exotic spices,\u00a0as well as\u00a0saltpeter, coffee, sugar, teak and bamboo. <\/p>\n

On their return\u00a0to India,\u00a0the Danish ships brought silver coins and bars as well as\u00a0ballast goods such as lead, copper and iron; initially,\u00a0European consumer goods had\u00a0extremely\u00a0limited appeal in the colonies. <\/p>\n

Protestantism arrives in India<\/h2>\n

Among the attractions offering more insights into this era is the Ziegenbalg Museum. Opened to the public in 2017, it sits in the former residence of German-born Danish\u00a0missionary Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg. <\/p>\n

Ziegenbalg was sent to Tranquebar in 1706 by Lutheran monarch Frederick IV\u00a0to plant the flag of Protestantism on Indian soil. <\/p>\n

He was a rarity in those times,\u00a0eschewing\u00a0the quarters assigned to him within the Danish commune and instead immersing\u00a0himself in native life\u00a0and\u00a0becoming fluent in Tamil, the local language. <\/p>\n

\n

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He\u00a0raised money for churches and schools, and\u00a0shipped over a printing press from Denmark (which can now be seen in the Ziegenbalg Museum). He used it to print a Tamil version of the Bible \u2013 the very first Indian-language translation of the Holy Book. <\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the passionate young missionary\u2019s frequent clashes with the local Danish establishment took a severe toll on his health. <\/p>\n

He died at the very young age of 36 in Denmark. His remains were brought back to his beloved India and he lies buried in Tharangambadi\u2019s New Jerusalem Church, which can still be visited today. <\/p>\n

The Danish chapter comes to an end<\/h2>\n

In the early years,\u00a0Tranquebar did well and the population of the territory\u00a0grew\u00a0to 15,000\u00a0people\u00a0by 1730 of which about 3,000 lived in the town,\u00a0with about 10% of the latter being European. <\/p>\n

Over the long run,\u00a0however,\u00a0the Danes struggled to make their new colony in the East work. <\/p>\n

The fortunes of Tranquebar waxed and waned like the great waves that lashed the shores of the little town. <\/p>\n

Back home,\u00a0the 17th century was characterized by a series of wars between the great powers of Europe as they scrambled to divide up the continent. <\/p>\n

When the Danes were not involved,\u00a0their trading companies prospered by virtue of their neutral flag under which they could conduct trade unimpeded, very often in secret arrangements signed with the warring parties.\u00a0\u00a0But\u00a0when they were involved, their companies suffered as their maritime trade was directly hit\u00a0by the tensions. <\/p>\n

Three\u00a0Danish trading companies\u00a0were\u00a0given the right to manage the administration, defense and operations of Tranquebar and to cover their expenses through the collection of land taxes and overland and maritime trade duties. <\/p>\n

However, income from maritime duties was highly unstable, leading directly to the bankruptcy of the first two companies. The Danish government had to step in and take over from one of the companies in 1777. <\/p>\n

The textile factories and warehouses shut down, the Danes began to leave as the dominant British moved in and the importance of Tranquebar continued to wither into the 19th century. <\/p>\n

Finally, Denmark struck a deal with the British in 1845 to sell their former possession for Rs 1.25 million ($15,033), thus bringing to an end this unique chapter in Danish-Indian history. <\/p>\n

Looking to the future<\/h2>\n

Fast forward to the 21st century and the revival of Danish interest in their cultural heritage and legacy in Asia. The Danish Tranquebar Association\u00a0(DTA), founded\u00a0in 2002,\u00a0has been a driving force in renovating and transforming Tharangambadi\u2019s historic landmarks. <\/p>\n

Its\u00a0president,\u00a0Poul Petersen,\u00a0prefers to take the Ziegenbalg approach:\u00a0\u201cWe are here as friends and not invaders \u2013 we wish to build on our common heritage with India in a peaceful and cooperative way.\u201d <\/p>\n

The DTA earned the\u00a0trust of the locals\u00a0following the horrific tsunami of 2004 as they stepped\u00a0up to rebuild homes, buy new boats and construct a 300-meter\u00a0granite protection wall along the coast. <\/p>\n

\n

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Since then, cooperation between the DTA, the Danish National Museum (DNM), INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) and the Tamil Nadu Tourism Department has resulted in the renovation of Dansborg Fort, the Land\u2019s Gate, the old Danish cemetery and the Governor\u2019s Bungalow. Meanwhile, work has started on the Danish Commander\u2019s House. <\/p>\n

The\u00a0Governor\u2019s\u00a0Bungalow is a stately building with a large, central veranda and a double front colonnade,\u00a0which was restored in 2011,\u00a0but still remains under lock and key while the Commander\u2019s House hosts the Danish-Indian Cultural Centre and currently consists of a maritime museum and a library. <\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

But work still needs to be done to boost the town\u2019s tourism offerings. Though the\u00a0Tamil Nadu government designated Tranquebar a heritage town in 1992,\u00a0there is a glaring lack of any decent hotel accommodation besides the Bungalow on The Beach. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, basic tourist infrastructure,\u00a0whether physical like a tourist information center, restaurants, cafes and public restrooms or digital like a proper website and social media presence\u00a0are lacking. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf Tranquebar is to realize its potential as a historic tourist destination then a coordinated strategic plan involving all stakeholders including local residents is absolutely essential,\u201d\u00a0says\u00a0Prabhakar Rao, Danish Vice-Consul for South India. <\/p>\n

Indeed it\u00a0pales in comparison to vibrant and lively Puducherry,\u00a0and besides visiting the old Danish buildings and museums, there is little else to do. <\/p>\n

Nevertheless, this\u00a0Danish chapter in the rich and varied history of India\u2019s colonial rule is a brief but interesting one, making\u00a0Tharangambadi\/Tranquebar well\u00a0worth a visit for\u00a0any\u00a0history buff. <\/p>\n\n

This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the long history of colonial rule in Asia, the shadow of Denmark does not loom large. It would be fair to say that few Indians and even fewer Danes are aware that this\u00a0northern European nation had a foothold in India from 1620 to 1845. That foothold was\u00a0Tranquebar, a small trading outpost far down eastern <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":8449,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8448","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}