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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Tranquebar – The Tale of the Submerged City

One can find a lot of information about Tranquebar on the internet. It’s historic Dansborg Fort, the 17th century British Collector’s Luxury Bungalow, its unique stretch of beach, colonial buildings and churches, Danish history and the 14th century Masilamani Nathar temple all get a lot of mention. But, there is something that you can find only when you visit this beach town in person. And that is the tale behind this submerged city.

The locals will tell you that about a kilometre and a half of the city lies submerged. And even better is when they show you the tied up boats in the open seas that mark the true boundary of this coastal town. The boats act as buoys that alert ships and fishing vessels about the danger underneath.

And all this because of rising sea levels worldwide. The locals don’t recommend anyone swimming within this cordoned area, but I was wondering if we could dive with our scuba diving equipment and get a chance to see how this submerged town looks from the inside. May be someone has done this. I am guessing that the Archaeological Society of India must have definitely done something on these lines.

If permissible, I would have loved to dive here, but didn’t find any infrastructure that allows such dives. And that is the tale of the submerged city, that used to be one of Denmark’s strongest colonies in India.

Tranquebar’s Different Beach Line...Thanks to Global Warming and Climate Change!

Here the beach is not rocky like in Pondicherry or Kanyakumari. Nor is it sandy like most of India’s west coast. Instead, the waves of the Bay of Bengal crash against the bricks that used to be the historic Danish city of Trankebar. Thanks to global warming and climate change, only a small portion of the brickworks breathe in the atmosphere. Rest of them remain below the water’s surface.

This brickwork from the era gone by is what creates an unique aura at Tranquebar (Tharangambadi). Tharangambadi is a small seaside town situated on the east coast of India, about 100 kilometres south of Pondicherry.

The feeling of being one with nature becomes ominous if one were to climb these brick walls. And if it is high tide time and you are the at the edge of brick walls that jut out into the sea, then you are greeted with foamy spray that promises to give you a mad thrill. Swimming is also possible, though only in small recommended pockets. The rest of the beach is considered unsafe for swimming unless you are well versed with the terrain underwater.

But that is not the end of it. This beach line has other charms too. It has a small golden sandy stretch that is enough for relaxed beach walks. This is where the locals and tourists alike come to soak in the seaside atmosphere. This golden beach is right in front of the Dansborg fort that towers in the background.

The fishermen community are also based on this beach. After all, the entire town of Tharangambadi revolves around this small beach line. Typical beach line stalls, though much smaller in size can be seen here selling food and snack items. And the umpteen fishing boats moored on the beach here act as seats for the beach lovers.

This different beach line at Tranquebar truly forms an unique experience. Let’s hope that the beach remains as it is and global warming and climate change do not take this amazing nature’s gift from us in the future.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Fishermen at work

The fishermen’s villages, colonies and their working areas on the beach all form an interesting experience. These places form an assortment of colours and look vibrant throughout.

Whenever I personally visit these fishing colonies, I get to learn new things. In fact, I have learnt about tides and times, fishing techniques, boat building techniques and others from such fishing communities.

And whenever, I am in a coastal town and/or close to the shores, I make it a point to visit at least one fishing village.

This time when I was visiting the Danish beach town of Tranquebar, I got to see the fishermen in usual and different light. As high tide started setting in, the local fishermen got our their fishing gear. Within a short while, they had caught quite a bit of catch.

As darkness set in, other local fishermen ventured towards the rocks and into crevices without any light to come out with large crabs.

In the evenings, you can see a lot of maintenance work in progress. Be it the stitching of fishing nets or the periodic maintenance of the fishing boats, they all form an interesting and knowledgeable experience.

Even better if you can converse in the native tongue of the fishermen. That way, you not only get to see interesting stuff, but also get to hear about it straight from the horse’s mouth.

Sea Moss

Moss has always interested me. Whether it grows on a tropical tree, on the walls of civilization or on the rocks thrashed by the strong waves of the ocean.

In this instance, I noticed Moss growing on the rocks that form the submerged remains of the old city of Tranquebar in the state of Tamil Nadu.

I saw these moss covered rocks both during high and low tides. They seemed to be shining in the sun during low tide and enjoying the batter of the waves during high tide.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Fort Dansborg, Tranquebar, Tamil Nadu, India

This is a 17th century Danish fort that faces the east coast of India. This fort is an important monument for the Danes in India as it is one of their few successful settlements in India. Well, successful yes, but not without a lot of hardships for them.

This was where the pepper trade route to Denmark began. First, they faced trouble from the locals, then from the then Chola kingdom and later the British. But, in between all this, the Danes set up Fort Dansborg as a base to establish their colonial presence in India.

Today, this fort exists in not so great colours, but the museum within, hosts a collection of colonial artefacts that throw light on its rich history from as early as 1620.

This fort, built by Danish captain, Ove Gjedde, was a self-sufficient area then, with strong military capability, food storage, accommodation and entertainment facilities. In fact, it was the residence and headquarters of the governor and other officials for about 150 years.

The Danes left Denmark in search of Sri Lanka and the far east, but the monsoons and other hardships brought them here. A lot of ships left Denmark, but only a few people survived the tough sea journey to arrive here and set up base.

The museum depicts the entire Danish history very well. The ships that came here, the captains who made it, the partnerships with the Indian kings and the trade route have been well documented.

Apart from the historical importance of this monument, the Fort Dansborg is also a great place to catch the sunrise over the Bay of Bengal, admire the views of the estuary of Kaveri’s (Cauvery river) tributaries and be one with nature in overall.