Where the Danish fort stood like a rock

By K. Subramanian

A LANDMARK UNSCATHED: The Danish Fort on the Tranquebar coast in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu that escaped the fury of the tsunami. — Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

NAGAPATTINAM, JAN. 4. The Danish fort, also called "Dansborg Fort" at Tranquebar, an ancient port town in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu, escaped the tsunami fury on December 26. However, sea water to a height of five feet smashed through the main door of the fort bringing in three catamarans.

Although the waves had reached the main road and washed away several coastal hamlets in Tranquebar for about a kilometre killing about 700 persons, the nearly four-century-old fort, which is just 100 metres away from the seashore, was not at all affected, thanks to the huge wall built around it.

The fort was built in 1620 A.D. as a trading post after Ove Gedde, an admiral in the Danish navy, negotiated a treaty with the Thanjavur king, Vijaya Raghunatha Nayak.

The two-storey building once housed the top echelons of the Danish Government and was the seat of power from where the Danish ruled their territory in India. The monument has been declared historically important under the Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1966.

Similarly, the century-old memory stone erected in Tranquebar by the congregations of the Lipzig EV. Luth Mission in 1906 to mark the first EV. Lutheran Missionaries to India — Barthalomeus Ziegenbalg and Plutschau in 1706 — was not damaged. It is located about 50 metres from the sea shore. But the huge stones put up for preventing sea erosion on the coast were washed away and are strewn along the coast.

The front portion of the famous "Masilamaninathar shore temple" built in the 14th century (1305 A.D.) suffered damage in the tsunami attack. Fifty per cent of the temple has been lost to the sea in the last two decades.