The Danes were here ?

While on the topic of cartoons published by a Danish newspaper, I was thinking of a
recent discovery that I made about the history of our nation.

It all started during a trip to Karaikkal (part of the Union Territory of Pondichery).
Though a part of Pondichery, it is physically located around 150kms from Pondichery.
Nothing unusual, considering the fact that Mahi and Yanam (the other two parts of
Pondichery) are located much farther away in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh respectively.
All these places were French colonies and joined the Indian Union after India secured independence from the British.

While at Karaikkal, I decided to go around the place and visit any places of interest
including the famous temple of God Sani (Saturn) and then came to know that a few
kilometres away was a fort from the colonial times at a place called Tharangambadi.
Unable to pronounce it, the French had shortened it to Tranqebar.

When I directed the cab driver to go to the fort, he was always referring to it as the
Dutch Kottai (Dutch fort). So, I was like, "OK, so who all were here ? The French, the
British and also the Dutch... ". However, I was in for a big surprise when I reached the
fort and read about its history. It seems the term "Dutch fort" was a misnomer, because
the Fort was built by the Danes who had visited the place sometime in the 16th century.

I do not claim to remember all the history lessons that I crammed at school. But, I was
pretty sure that I had never read of the Danes having a colony in India (I might be wrong
though). I remember reading about the French, the British and the Dutch. Looks like the
Danes had also caught the colonising bug and had reached Tranqebar where they had
established the Fort just close to the sea. Later, unable to withstand the British
onslaught, they had sold the fort to the English, and left for sweet home.

Over the centuries, the sea had damaged the fort and infact some structures were taken
by the sea. But the ASI has done a commendable job of restoring the fort to its past glory.
A must-visit place, if you are anywhere near Karaikkal or Nagapattinam, not just for the
beauty, but also for that bit of history that we were not aware of.

Just close by is a temple from olden times, severely damaged by the sea. It is sad that
no one is taking any effort to renovate it or atleast to limit any further damage.