Awe-inspiring second largest Danish Fort in the world, Tranquebar

1620 Danish Fort Thrangampadi ,TN
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the Danish fort cast-iron gate. Tharangampadi, en.wikipedia.org


The Danish fort Tharangampadi, TN. thelostlander.wordpress.com


1620 The Danish fort Tharangampadi, Tamil Nadu. pinterest.com


Danish Fort: Storage Room. tripadvisor.com


The Dansborg Fort, also called Danish fort, is a Danish  settlement built on the shore of Tharangambadi town, Nagapatnam district of Tamil Nadu and is an important Danish heritage site. Here, the rhythmic ebb and flow of the sea water, lashing on the base of the fort, reminds us of the of rise and fall of kingdoms and colonial rulers and the transient nature of our lives as well. This fort is just a remnant of  a Danish settlement.
The Danish fort Tharangampadi, TN.gettyimages.com

er a vast area close to the shores of Tranquebar, the fort has a row of rooms on the ground floor and on the first floor. There are  soldiers’ quarters, warehouse, poultry room, gunpowder room and a kitchen. Because of the proximity of the sea water-logging at the base of the fort was a problem during the high tides and occasional tidal waves  some time ago. The Archaeological Department paid serious attention and built  an additional foundation below the pillars of the fort to beef up the structure and built a strong  retaining wall around it, besides increasing the height of  the wall by about five meters.

During the last heavy monsoon, part of the wall on the western side of the fort - 55 meters long and four meters broad fell down. Engineers in the ASI  used  materials such jaggery, gall nut and lime for  re-constructing the wall, restoring its original majesty of the by-gone era. 


  Danish fort  to Tranquebar (Tharangampadi)bagndpak.blogspot.com


The project called 'Destination Development of Tranquebar' by the Department of Tourism of Government of Tamil Nadu, the first of its kind to restore this old monument and to recreate the old Danish ambiance began in 2011. It was an ambitious attempt at reinventing and revitalizing the small erstwhile  Danish town  to put it back to the past glory. They carried out the work under the guidance of  the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) &

 the Danish fort   Tranquebar - Yahoo ...

implemented  it by the PWD. It aimed at  recreation of the Tranquebar Fort environs up to the arch and the old look of a bygone era.

The work included cobble-stoned pathways, a significant marker of Danish settlements. The façade of the Dansborg Fort, including the Goldsmith Street,  was repaired to accommodate a rectangular walkway paved by cobble-stones and  incorporating ornamental iron cast gate and street lamps alongside  both characteristic of Danish town planning design. Construction of flat granite benches on the path ways was done for the benefit of visitors for fun and relaxation.

One interesting aspect of this restoration project was, for the first time, due importance was given to environmental protection as it is an  ASI - protected  heritage  site. The plan includes  restraining movement of heavy vehicles in its vicinity of the site. As it is, the cobble-stoned pathways, will act as a natural hindrance on vehicular movement in the vicinity of the Fort. This will positively help retain  the highest concentration of atmospheric ozone and  and it will be conducive to the availability of  fresh air. The various woks were done in phases with available funds.







Ref:
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-editorialfeatures/dansborg-fort-set-to-get-a-facelif