Tranquebar

Tranquebar (or Tharangambadi) is a small coastal town in Tamil Nadu 120 km south of the former French colony Pondicherry (Puducherry). Tharangambadi literally means the land of the singing waves. From 1620 to 1845 it served as a Danish trading post in India and came to be known as Tranquebar. Tranquebar is also known for its ozone-rich beaches.

Understand
The place dates back to the 14th century. Masilamani Nathar (Shiva) temple was built in 1306, in a land given by Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I. Until 1620, when the Danes came, the place was part of the Thanjavur Nayak kingdom. Danish admiral Ove Gjedde felt the place would be a potential trading centre, made a deal with Raghunatha Nayak, and built a fort, which is known as Fort Dansborg. Fort Dansborg was the residence and headquarters of the governor and other officials till 1845, when along with Serampore in West Bengal, it was sold to the British.

The Danish converted the sleepy fishing hamlet into a colonial town complete with European-styled mansions and churches. Today the Danish Fort of Dansborg still dominates the Tranquebar skyline and the fortified town still has its share of colonial charm and legacy. The coastal town complete with forts, churches and colonial buildings is surrounded by high walls complete with bastions and stands as a colonial island surrounded by a rural landscape.

Get in
Tranquebar is better known with its local name, Tharangambadi, so ask for bus/taxi for the same.

Bus
The best way of getting to Tranquebar is by bus. Bus route 324 runs all the way from CMBT (Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminal) in Madras along the coast to Nagapattinam south of Tranquebar. The bus will make stops in Pondicherry, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Tranquebar and Karaikal on the way to Nagapattinam, so it is perfect if you already are in one of these cities. From Madras the trip will take around 7-8 hours, from Pondicherry around 4 hours, from Karikal around 30 minutes and from Nagapattinam around one hour. The busses come in three different classes: Regular, UD (ultra deluxe) and AC (Air Conditioning). Regular busses are bad even by Indian standards, Ultra deluxe busses are bad by western standards (no A/C or reclining seats) while AC busses (blue and white with closed windows) are really good. A trip from Madras to Nagapattinam on AC bus is less than ₹300, so unless you are on a really tight budget AC is the way to go.

Rail
Mayiladuthurai is the nearest railhead and is located 31 km from Tranquebar. Mayiladuthurai is well connected with Chennai and Rameshwaram

Get around
Tranquebar is small enough for you to easily be able to walk around and the entire area can be covered in 3-4 hours. If you are a true history buff and want to see all the sites like the remains of Peter Anker's country house and gardens or the Governor's Mansion in nearby Porayar, it may make sense to hire a pedal bike. If you're starting from Pondicherry, its possible to start and return from Tranquebar the same day.