Tharangambadi

Tharangambadi, earlier Tranqebar, is just around 3 hrs drive from Pondicherry. Bordered on two sides by the Bay of Bengal and the backwaters of one of the many tributaries of the Cauvery river, this sleepy fishing village has an outer ring of traditional Tamil village buildings. But once you drive past the outer walls of the citadel, the traditional European style of architecture starts emerging. Today, vestiges of the Danish era are still visible in Tranquebar. Fort Dansborg, straight streets, colonial style houses, the Land Gate, churches, and churchyards all bear witness to the common Indian-Danish legacy.Drive past the church of Zion and the monument to Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg and you arrive at the newly rebuilt waterfront. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the remains of Fort Dansborg, the erstwhile headquarters of the Danish East India Company.
In the medieval period, Tranquebar formed part of the Chola Dynasty and since the 14th century Tranquebar was part of a regional and international trade network, first attracting Muslim and later Portuguese traders. From 1620-1845, Tranquebar hosted a Danish trading post due to an agreement between envoys of the Danish King Christian IV and Raghunatha Nayak, the King of Thanjavur. In 1620, the Danes constructed Fort Dansborg with the help of Raghunatha Nayak and his men and they later fortified the town.
In 1984, the Tamil Nadu Government declared Tranquebar a protected cultural heritage site and in the course of the 2000s many of the old streets and colonial buildings were thoroughly restored. Visitors can have an early start of their day in Tranqebarwith a pleasant walk along the waterfront witnessing the local fishermen heading out to sea for their day's labour.
The main attraction here is the Danish Fort complex, open to tourists from 10am to 5pm.The old fort complex is relatively well preserved, with different sections of it in various states of repair. A single-storied building runs alongside the main walls on the southern, western and northern sides (the erstwhile troop barracks, warehouse, kitchens and jail), while pride of place on the eastern seafacing side goes to the dual-storied main fort complex, built to protect Denmark's small pocket of influence in India. The lower storey of the main fort complex, once the magazine (ammunition depot) and a warehouse for the Danish East India Company, now plays host to some administrative offices and a museum that showcases items that document the Danish influx and influence.
A leisurely walk through the museum room will reveal some old gear, anchors and cannons from the ships that once braved the oceans to come to Tranquebar, exoskeletons of some large (and quite frightening) fish, pottery and ironwork. There are also copies of the original treaties between Admiral Ove Gjedde and the then local ruler Raghunatha Nayak, which gave the Danes control over the area.
Drop by the Zion church. Sanctified in 1701, it is the oldest Protestant church in India and the remarkably well-preserved building is a striking reminder of the architectural prowess of the times.
Across the road from the Zion church is the memorial to Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg, one of the two Lutheran missionaries who arrived from Germany in 1705 to establish a mission in Tranquebar.
Its time to return to the comforts of your beach front hotel and settle over a cold drink watching fisherfolks at work. Tharangambadi today undoubtedly lives up to the Tamil meaning of its name land of dancing waves.