Best Places to Visit in Tranquebar

Tharangambadi, or Tranquebar, is a Southern Indian town steeped in history. Come visit and check out the heritage sites peppered around the area, all within walking distance, and cool off at the Tharangambadi Beach to end your day.

Fort Dansborg

The fort that Tranquebar is famous for is also the second-largest Danish fort in the world, behind Kronborg. Built in 1620, it was originally a citadel that housed the Danish settlers (mainly missionaries and merchants) who came to India.

After 225 years of Danish rule, it was purchased by the British and lost its significance. Post-independence, Tamil Nadu began restoration efforts to revive the fort’s heritage. 

Ziegenbalg Printing Press

Visit the museum of the first missionary in Tharangambadi, Bartholomaüs Ziegenbalg, who established a full-fledged printing press in 1709. The Ziegenbalg Spiritual Centre, a short walk from here, was his home when he settled in Tharangambadi.

This press was the first to print a Bible translated into the local language, becoming the foundation of India’s new age of printing.

CSI Zion Church

One of Tranquebar’s oldest churches and believed to be India’s first Protestant Church, the CSI Zion Church was built as a base for Danish settlement in the early 17th century. Then-king of Thanjavur, Ragunatha Nayak, ceded the land to Danish Admiral Ove Gjedde in an agreement that permitted Ziegenbalg to build it. He was also the church’s first pastor and learned Tamil to preach.

It’s enclosed in Fort Dansborg, along with the other King’s Street buildings, only two blocks from the Bay of Bengal. From the outside, you will know it by its brick exterior, stained glass windows and tiled brick spires.

The Zion Church is a working church with hourly prayer and daily services. Today, it falls under the dominion of Tiruchirappalli-Thanjavur Diocese of the Church of South India.

Old Danish Cemetery

This cemetery houses ancient tombstones that tell sad stories of the early Danish settlers in Tranquebar, filling you in on their (often sadly too short) lives.

Masilamani Nathar Koil

This temple is over 700 years ago, devoted to Lord Shiva. It faces the sea, painted with bright pastel shades and containing inscriptions about Kulasekarapatnam and Sadakanbadi.

Five Tamil Houses

On Goldsmith Street lie 5 restored Tamil houses. Two of these houses are the site of INTACH Tranquebar's office and an exhibition on Tranquebar's history. In another two, you'll find the Tranquebar Craft Resource Centre, reviving local crafts with the help of Upasana and the Crafts Council.

Visit Tharangambadi

To discover these sites and more, come visit Thanga House in Tranquebar. Standing on Goldsmith Street, steps from the other Tamil Houses, Thanga House is a simple luxury homestay eager to welcome you. Your host will happily help you plan out your visit, with walking tours of different parts of the town and a delicious food tour of the neighbouring town Karaikal, so you can leave sure that you got the full Tranquebar experience.