SINGING WAVES OF THARANGAMBADI

                          “If there is a heaven for me, I m sure it has a beach attached to it”  

                                                                                                                     - Jimmy Buffet

            Not just him, but there are a whole bunch of us eternally in love with those waves of joy. Being Chennaites, we are blessed with the magnificent Marina and the high profile Bessie (Elliots beach). However, somewhere down the line, we still have those petty instances where we feel ‘if only this was better about the Marina’. To put an end to all those unanswered grievances, here is a beach – a beauty under cover- THARANGAMBADI.

            Tharangambadi is situated on the south east of Tamil Nadu sharing the waters of the Bay of Bengal. It is about 15 km north of Karaikal i.e. about 283 km from Chennai. Tharangambadi can be accessed by various means of transport. By train to Nagapattinam and then by road – about 15 km (half an hour travel by road) ; from the sacred Thirukadaiyur- about 7 km by road ; By air to Pondicherry and then by road- about 115 km (two and half hours travel by road)

            In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth. So, let us dig into the story of this beach. The Tharangambadi also known as Tranquebar is a haunting reflection of the Danish settlement in the state. The dynamic Dansborg fort was built in 1752 by Ove Gjedde, a Danish admiral. He made a deal with the Ragunatha Nayak of the Thanjavur Nayak Kingdom to build the fort and slowly conquered the area. The length of the fort in the side facing the sea is 60 m (200 ft) and the width is about 11 m (36 ft). The rampart wall i.e. the defensive wall of the second largest Danish fort in India is a large four sided structure with bastions at the cardinal points. The trapezoidal fort was surrounded by a moat i.e. a ditch with a drawbridge providing access. The moat has however vanished over the years. The mighty waves of the Bay of Bengal provided protection to the Dansborg fort on the eastern and western sides. Despite being centuries old, the Dansborg fort has carved a niche for itself even in this concrete jungle of ours. The fort is now housing artifacts from the colonial era. The sea facing fort has a few fishermen villages around the area. As we venture into this Danish settlement, a flashback of the history hits us hard with the deserted shores, haunted fort and ghostly village. 

            Around 4 years back, I had visited this sublime beauty with my family. Before the sounds of the world could wake up the sun, we sneaked in to witness the sunrise. A bunch of 15 people, laid back on the shore, undeterred by the haunting silence of the ghost village, we enjoyed the singing waves. And as the morning sun peeked out from beyond the yonder, the creepy crawly crabs ran hay way on the shores. Thus, began the day with the music of the waves ringing in our ears and serenity of the waters filling our hearts.

And so, I hope that Tharangambadi finds a place in your Travel list.  Be it a lone wolf travel or a family getaway, Tharangambadi will be a place to rejuvenate yourself from the stressful daily chores and the noisy city life. Wearing history on its sleeve and serenity in its bosom, the singing waves take you to a magical land of its own.

Cheers wanderers! Be on the prowl! 

- N&N