Tharangambadi, the land of singing waves, is a solitary historic gem with little attention and almost no fanfare. It is located in the Nagapattinam district of the state of Tamil Nadu.
Somewhere in the early 17th century Ove Gjedde, a Danish Admiral, arrived at this rustic village on the Coromandel coast and was instantly impressed by its strategic positioning and the tranquil shores.
Or so we can imagine through the unfolding of the following events....
The Danish entered into a treaty with the King of Tanjore and acquired the trading rights in 1620. They renamed the place 'Tranquebar’ and a fort was built as a trading base on the shores of the Bay of Bengal.
Considered the second largest Danish fort, Fort Dansborg has a museum which contains an interesting collection of relics from the 17th and 18th centuries.
The German Lutheran missionary Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg literally learnt Tamil to translate the New Testament and imported a printing press to print it!
He also built the Zion Church and the New Jerusalem Church on King Street. The Danes left Tranquebar in 1845 leaving the place under the rule of the British East India Company.
Tranquebar is only a 3-hour drive from Pondicherry – yet, it has not lost its rare serenity. The entire village was badly affected by the 2004 tsunami. Renovation work took place soon after though, to preserve the historic buildings.
As you enter through the landporten (Town gate) of Thrangambadi, the solitary street and the whispering waves embrace you with all their warmth.
It’s just the place where an ace traveller would like to come, wander through and get immersed in the lingering charm of a bygone era which is evident in all its colonial structures and street names.
(The writer is a Bengaluru-based blogger and is a former reporter, Times Of India.)
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