TRANQUEBAR. SOUNDS Danish. Sounds dreamy. Especially since all the pieces written about it talk of its grand fort, impressive architecture and the sense of history it exudes.

The drive to Tranquebar is pleasant, along the fairly smooth Pondicherry-Cuddalore-Chidambaram-Sirkazhi route. Spirits were high as we imagined a pretty town, still living in the 17th Century, complete with limestone and brick fort, set beside a pristine beach.

Entering Tranquebar we looked out eagerly for the 200-year-old Land Gate, which is still used as the entrance to the little town and described as a "structure of architectural and historical interest," by travel columns. The only indication of its history and grandeur is the Danish Royal Seal, which one almost misses amongst the clutter, posters and goats.

Rehling's Gard, the home of one of the Danish Governors, has been converted into a teacher's training institute and is closed to the public. The Church of Zion at the corner of King Street and Queen Street is a pleasant-looking structure that dates back to 1701. It is the oldest Protestant church in India, but this too is closed. So, onward to the Dansborg Fort!

All illusions of a pleasantly antiquated fortification with its guns glinting in the sun, sitting pretty by the beach were completely flattened by the sight of a grey cement structure standing grimly in the sun. Inside the fort, and one sees that the original brickwork has been callously covered with cement, taking away the soul and sense of history of the fort. Red brick debris, from the fort's original walls, lies scattered all over the fort area. Cannons sunk in cement along the battlements look like a giant's discarded toys. The museum, inside the fort, looks like an old-fashioned pharmacy, but has copies and originals of documents and maps dating back to the mid-1600s, though the signages and markers are quite cryptic. (We still haven't been able to figure out what the "Stone Balls of Tranquebar" enshrined forever in the museum's cracked glass cases are all about). There is a monument to the first Lutheran missionaries to India — Bartholomew Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Plutschau outside.

The fort was built in 1622 as a trading post after Ove Gedde, an admiral in the Danish Navy, negotiated a treaty with the Thanjavur king, Vijaya Raghunatha Nayak. Tranquebar was a Danish colony from 1620 to 1845, when it was transferred to the British.

During our visit, the only thing making waves in Tarangambadi (Village of Dancing Waves) was the protest by the district's farmers over falling rice prices. It was rather exciting to watch from the ramparts of the murdered fort as armed police rushed in and then proceeded to lounge around as the farmers raised slogans and made fiery anti-globalisation speeches. Tonnes of rice were then dumped into the sea in protest. It was like watching the Boston Tea Party with a local flavour.

The sunken walls and ruined jetty out in the sea are impressive, giving one an idea of the fort's antiquity and what it may have looked like before its fall from grace. Rather than embalming the fort in cement and making it look like part of the history zone of a theme park, it might have been more honourable to let it fall to pieces in dignity.

This is happening to the Masilamaninathar Temple a short distance away. The temple's gopuram lies on its side on the beach. The rest of the temple is slowly sliding into the sea and we had to clamber over the stonework lying in the sea to get inside. The temple built in 1305 A.D. by the Pandya King Kulasekaran is crying for restoration, though it looks like it's too far gone.

On the way back to the car, we stopped at The New Jerusalem Church built in 1718. The obvious German-Danish influence, the high roof, old pews and list of pastors since the church opened, is interesting. You can leave your initials for posterity in the visitor's book, which will then be shown to every visitor to the church.

A visit to Tarangambadi is strongly recommended if you have a time machine that takes you back about ten years.

How to get there

Road: Pondicherry-Cuddalore-Chidambaram-Sirkazhi-Tarangambadi route - about 300 km.

Rail: Chidambaram is the closest railhead, about 50 km from Tarangambadi

Where to stay: Hotels and guesthouses in Chidambaram are the best bet.

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