Townapedia
Bungalow on the Beach, Neemrana Hotels, in Tranquebar, Tamil Nadu
Bungalow on the Beach, Neemrana Hotels, in Tranquebar, Tamil Nadu · Koshy Koshy from Faridabad, Haryana, India, CC BY 2.0
Danish Church, Tranquebar
Danish Church, Tranquebar · Chenthil, CC BY-SA 3.0
Tranquebar Zion Church 1
Tranquebar Zion Church 1 · Rangan Datta Wiki, CC BY-SA 4.0
Fort Dansborg
Fort Dansborg · Esben Agersnap, CC BY-SA 3.0
Main Arch NITPY
Main Arch NITPY · Iambatman2022, CC0
J W Muller 1771
J W Muller 1771 · Shyamal L., CC BY-SA 4.0

Tharangambadi, India

Tharangambadi is a town of 23,191 people in Tamil Nadu, India.

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Population23,191 GeoNames
RegionTamil Nadu
Elevation8 m 26 ft
Time zoneAsia/Kolkata
Nearest airportNeyveli Airport (NVY) 74 km

Why visit Tharangambadi

Townapedia lists 12 museums and landmarks, 4 parks and trails, 5 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.

Highlights include National Institute of Technology, Puducherry, tharangambadi maritime museum and Fort Dansborg.

About Tharangambadi

Tharangambadi (Tamil: [t̪aɾaŋgambaːɖi]), formerly Tranquebar (Danish: Trankebar, pronounced [ˈtsʰʁɑŋkəˌpɑˀ]), is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on the Coromandel Coast. It lies 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Karaikal, near the mouth of a distributary named Uppanar of the Kaveri River. It was established on 19 November 1620 as the first Danish trading post in India. King Christian IV had sent his envoy Ove Gjedde who established contact with Raghunatha Nayak of Thanjavur.

From the Wikipedia article Tharangambadi (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Travel tips from other travellers: Tharangambadi on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Things to do1

National Institute of Technology, Puducherry

School · 4.1 km

Autonomous Higher Education Institute in Karaikal, India

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Museums and landmarks12

tharangambadi maritime museum

Museum

Maritime museum in Tamil Nadu, India

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Fort Dansborg

Museum

Danish fort in the shores of Bay of Bengal

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200 years of mission

Monument and historic site

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Danish Harbour Walls

Monument and historic site

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Denmark Bastion

Monument and historic site

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Mühldorff's House

Monument and historic site

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The Commander's House

Monument and historic site

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The Governor's Bungalow

Monument and historic site

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Town Gate

Monument and historic site

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Ziegenbalg House

Monument and historic site

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Ziegenbalg Statue

Monument and historic site

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Parks, trails and playgrounds4

Lucky City Park

Park · 2.0 km

East Coast Road, Poraiyar

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Tharangambadi - Danish Fort Beach

Beach · 0.6 km

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Tharangambadi Beach

Beach

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Tharangambadi Harbour

Marina and boat launch · 0.8 km

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Where to stay5

Bungalow on the Beach

Motel and hotel

24 King Street, Tharangambadi

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Hotel Tamil Nadu

Motel and hotel

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St. Theresa Convent

Motel and hotel

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Tamil Nadu Girls' Hostel

Motel and hotel

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The Gate House

Motel and hotel

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History

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. As of now, this temple is the oldest monument. Until 1620, when the Danes came, the place was under 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. In 1644, Dansborg was besieged, yet the siege became inconclusive.

A Jesuit Catholic congregation in Tranquebar predated the arrival of the Danes by several decades. This congregation descended from Tamil fishermen converted by Portuguese missionaries. There was also a sizable population of Indo-Portuguese due to their presence nearby in Nagapattinam. The Catholic church was probably demolished to build the fort. This fort was the residence and headquarters of the governor and other officials for about 150 years. It is now a museum hosting a collection of artifacts from the colonial era.

From the History section of Tharangambadi on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Churches and places of worship11

Schools, colleges and libraries3

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Healthcare3

Map of Tharangambadi

39 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Neyveli Airport (NVY) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 74 km away.

  • Kāraikāl 13 km south, about 13 min by car
  • Tirumalarājanpatnam 17 km south, about 17 min by car
  • Tittachcheri 19 km south, about 19 min by car
  • Mayiladuthurai 23 km west, about 23 min by car
  • Peralam 22 km west, about 22 min by car
  • Thiruvarur 37 km southwest, about 37 min by car
  • Kumbakonam 51 km west, about 51 min by car
  • Neyveli 75 km northwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
  • Thanjavur 83 km west, about 1 h 30 min by car
  • Cuddalore 82 km north, about 1 h 15 min by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Reviews, tips and questions

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Sources and licences

Photo credits

Page built November 3, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.