Fort Dansborg

Fort Dansborg ( da, Dansborg), locally called Danish Fort ( ta, டேனியக் கோட்டை, translit=Ṭēṉiyak kōṭṭai), is a Danish fort located in the shores of Bay of Bengal in Tranquebar (Tharangambadi) in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Fort Dansborg was built in the land ceded by Thanjavur king Ragunatha Nayak in an agreement with Danish Admiral Ove Gjedde in 1620 and acted as the base for Danish settlement in the region during the early 17th century. The fort is the second largest Danish fort after Kronborg. The fort was sold to the British in 1845 and along with Tranquebar, the fort lost its significance as the town was not an active trading post for the British. After India's independence in 1947, the fort was used as an inspection bungalow by the state government till 1978 when the Department of Archaeology, Government of Tamil Nadu took over the control of the fort. The fort is now used as a museum where the major artifacts of the fort and the Danish empire are displayed.

The fort was renovated twice in modern times, once by Tranquebar Association with the help of the Danish royal family and the State Archaeology Department in 2001 and secondly by a project named Destination Development of Tranquebar by the Department of Tourism of the Government of Tamil Nadu in 2011 in consultation with Intach, Pondicherry chapter. The fort is one of the prominent tourist destinations in the region.

History

Coramandel was an active international trading coast from the 3rd century BCE. The European colonial empires like British, French, Dutch and Portuguese established maritime trade with India during the early 17th century. The Danish East India Company was established in the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen in 1616 and a mission was sent with Admiral Ove Gjedde (1594–1660 CE). Hamilton 1820, pp. 457–8 Ove Gjedde signed a deal with the Thanjavur ruler king Raghunatha Nayak (1600–34) in 1620 in spite of resistance from the Portuguese. The rent was fixed as 3111 per annum and a total of by area was ceded to the Danish mission. The treaty signed during November 1620 also allowed the Danes to collect taxes from the neighbouring villages of Tranquebar. The treaty signed in a golden leaf manuscript is maintained in the Danish royal archives in Copenhagen. Danish National Archives 2012, p. 55

The fort is the second largest Danish fort after Kronborg, the inspiration for Shakespeare's ''Hamlet''. It was built by Ove Gjedde with the help of local laborers in Danish style. The lower compartment in the basement adjoining the fort was used as a store room, prison and a rest room for the soldiers, while the governor and priests resided in the second level. Fort Dansborg was the base for Danish settlement in the region during the early 17th century. Originally a fishing village, Tharangambadi (referred as Tranquebar) was fortified by the Danish, who used the port as the main trading post for the colony, with the major export of the colony being cotton textiles. During the middle of the 18th century, the commercial importance of the town declined and the centre of textile production moved to Serampore in the state of Bengal. But Tranquebar still remained the headquarters of the Colony. The fort and the town was sold to the British in 1845 and, along with Tharangambadi, the fort lost its significance as the town was not a trading post anymore. Gronseth 2007, pp. 68–69

Architecture

Fort Dansborg is located in the southern part of Tharangambadi, located from the state capital Chennai. It is built in Danish style, characterized by large halls, columned structures, high ceilings and projecting drapery. The length of the fort in the side facing the sea is and the width is about . The fort is trapezoidal in shape with three rooms in the left wing, originally used as the governor's residence, a kitchen with an open fireplace and chimney in the top left hand corner, and a church room, now a museum, located in the centre of the building. The original rectory and the northern part of it, which are now the store rooms, are located in the right wing. The corner room on the right side was the residence of the commercial director. In modern times, it is used as a store room. The core of the building is made of brick. The main door of the fort faces north, while an additional door faces the east. Archaeological Survey of India 1903, p. 28 The second storey of the fort has a set of guard rooms. The staircase leading to it are built with bricks. The central part of the fort has four camel hump shaped domes. The central pillar of the hall holds the entire weight of the domes.

The citadel encloses a set of buildings, the notable ones being the fort built in 1620, the Masilamaninathar Temple built in the 13th century, the Zion Church built in 1701, New Jerusalem Church built in 1718, the Town Gateway built in 1792, the Danish Governor Bungalow built in 1784 and a series of tomb stones built during the 17th and 18th centuries. The settlement inside the citadel is modeled like a small European town with a land gate and wooden doors leading to the main street, namely, the King's Street. Some of the notable buildings in the King's street are the Gate House, Muhldorff's House, Port Master's Bungalow and Rehling's House. There were originally citadel walls towards the sea, which eroded with time on account of the salty nature of the environment. The fortification could not withstand an attack by regular military forces, but acted as a protection for the citizens of the settlement against predatory cavalry raids. The bastions of the fort are constructed with black stone.

Renovation in modern times

The Tranquebar Association, formed in 2001, with the help of the Tamil Nadu State Archaeological Department and the Danish Royal family, restored the South end of the fort with the same kind of material like brick and black stone, used during the original construction. The renovation was completed in 2005, with contributions from local artisans, Danish volunteers, Danish and Indian experts. In 2001, chemists from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) restored the portrait of Raja Ragunatha Naik, Tranquebar site map, pottery, portrait of Christian IV, the Danish King. Metal Halide lamps, which provide a uniform green-coloured lighting, were used for illuminating the exteriors. Metal Halide lamps, which provide a uniform green-coloured lighting, were used for illuminating the exteriors. The design was finalized by Dr. Kannan who even carried the lamps personally by the then metre gauge passenger which ran from Tambaram to Mayiladuthurai.

The restored complex was opened by Dr. R. Kannan, IAS, the Commissioner of Archaeology and Museums in the presence of Mr.K.T. Narasimhan in 2002. The Collector of the Nagapattinam District, Mr. Sudeep Jain, IAS presided over the function. Mr. Charles Havilland of the BBC interviewed Dr. Kannan on the inauguration day. The Friends of Tranquebar Society approached Dr. Kannan after the visit and stated that they would like to participate in the revival of Tranquebar, the church etc. They participated with voluntary efforts and in mobilizing the local people making them aware of their heritage. They took a role in the inaugural function on 14.07.2002.

Dr R. Kannan IAS, the first and last person to hold merged charge of the Departments of Museums and Archaeology of the Government of Tamil Nadu (2001-2002) took the initiative to conserve and restore the Dansborg Fort as one of the first works done departmentally using heritage maintenance funds allocated by the Government. The Government sanctioned Rs.35 Lakhs in 2002. Before his tenure, no conservation or restoration work was done by the State Department on their own. Dr. Kannan who took technical guidance form the experienced Mr. K.T. Narasimhan, then Superintending Archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India, Chennai Circle together visited the Fort in 2001 AD. Dr. Kannan and Mr. K.T. Narasimhan visited Tranquebar jointly on 17.07.2001. They spent a day there. The notes of inspection of 17.07.2001 of Mr. Narasimhan was the first note to decipher the structure of the monument. He prescribed the method for conservation and restoration. The work was taken up by the State Department of Archaeology under Dr. Kannan based on this note. This was the first conservation work in documented memory of the fort.

The conservation and restoration of the southern wing of the fort started on 14.04.2002 and completed on 14.07.2002. Dr. Kannan climbed and sat on the elephant back type roof for several days despite ill health to complete the conservation in 2002. Concurrently, the Land Gate of Tranquebar built in 1792 AD under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India riddled with encroachment and in dilapidated condition was conserved and restored by them at the instance of Mr. K. T. Narasimhan as a joint Central – State Government effort to conserve Tranquebar heritage as a whole.  The rampart wall conservation work was started soon after in 2002. It was pending for eight years. Excavation was done by Mr. T.Subramanian, Archaeologist under the direction of Dr. Kannan to decode the foundation. The work for completion of the rampart wall, gate as per old design and the rest of the fort was done after notes of inspection was given by Dr. Kannan on 08.10.2002. This work was completed in 2003 – 2004 even after he was transferred.

In 2015 AD, in the third round of Dr.Kannan’s tenure prior to his retirement, renewal of conservation of the Fort and further development of Tranquebar as a tourist destination was posed to the Asian Development Bank in 2014. The work of conservation and restoration of 17th century Danish Fort 'Dansborg Fort' in Tranquebar was carried out and completed (May 2016) with an expenditure of Rs. 4. 71 Crores.

The work has been documented in the State Archaeology publication - ''Tarangampadi (Tranquebar) Excavation & Conservation Report, 2001-2002'' by T.Subramanian, Archaeologist, Edited by Dr. R. Kannan IAS, Commissioner of Agriculture, Archaeology & Museums, State Dept. of Archaeology Chennai, published in 2003 and in the Government Museum, Chennai publication - ''Manual on conservation and restoration of monuments : proceedings of an administrator turned conservation archaeologist cum museologist'' by Dr. R. Kannan IAS, Publication: Chennai : Special Commissioner and Commissioner of Museums, Government Museum, 2007.

There was a project planned by the Government of Tamil Nadu to lay stones along the shores to protect the fort and the Masilamaninathar Temple in Tharangambadi from erosion. While the project was planned much before the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2005, it was implemented only in 2007. Before the tsunami, there was stiff resistance from the local villages citing impact to fishery in the region. Post tsunami, the resistance from the locals receded and the project was extended to accommodate additional areas of the shore.

The Department of Tourism Development of Tamil Nadu initiated a project named "Destination Development of Tranquebar". The project was started in 2011, with an estimated budget of and planned a phased re-creation of the fort and the environs around it. As a part of the first phase of the project, cobble-stoned pathways were laid and ornamental cast iron street lamps were installed in the path around the fort. The cobble-stone pathways were laid for a total of around the facade and for on Goldsmith street. The first phase was completed at an expense of . The second phase of the project involved the laying of cobble-stone pathways from the Tranquebar Arch to the river promenade. The second phase was completed at an expense of . Environmental protection measures, like restraining movement of heavy vehicles around the fort to maintain the highest atmospheric ozone concentration, were also implemented.
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Culture

A factory was established soon after the fort was constructed and it minted coins that bore the initials TB or DB, indicating Dansborg. The fort acted as the important gateway in the trade route from Europe to Coramandel. Protestant missionaries were sent from Denmark by king Frederick IV, who was also the head of Lutheran Church of Denmark. Two of them, namely, Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Plütschau came to Tranquebar on 9 July 1706, established the Tranquebar Mission, learnt Tamil in a few years and were the first to translate and print ''The New Testament'' of the ''Bible'' in Tamil in the printing press inside the fort. The Danish mission was the first Protestant mission in India and from its inception, was staffed by German missionaries trained at Pietist schools and seminary founded by Francke at the end of 17th century. A Tamil-Latin dictionary containing 9000 words was compiled there by a medical missionary named Friedrich Koenig in 1778, whose source letters are stored in the royal archives. Danish National Archives 2012, p. 158 The fort is featured in a large number of videos, films and commercials. Gronseth 2007, p. 11 After India's independence in 1947, the fort was used as an inspection bungalow by the state government till 1978 when the State Department of Archaeology of the Government of Tamil Nadu took over the control of the fort. The fort is now used as a museum, housing a collection of major artifacts of the fort and the Danish empire. The fort is one of the most visited tourist landmarks in the region.

Notes

Footnotes

* Dansborg Fort, in modern times, is indicative of the fort alone, but the historical texts refer the citadel at large encompassing other buildings within the fortification.

Citations

References

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Buildings and structures completed in 1620
Dansborg
Museums in Tamil Nadu
Buildings and structures in Nagapattinam district
Fort
1620 establishments in Danish India
Tranquebar
Buildings and structures in Danish India