I can see why the Danes chose this place. The sea roars and the air is melancholic…or maybe that’s because of all the Danish influence? I couldn’t say, but Tranquebar feels exactly like you imagined it would. An old Danish colonial relic in the middle of vibrant rural Tamil Nadu. It sounds like an anomaly, but in Tranquebar all things come together in a beautiful melody. The drive to Tranquebar is a whir of vibrant green fields, small villages and happy people who will wave at you for no reason. Half the fun of making the trip to Tranquebar is choosing to go there and then wondering what it would be like.
Well, I can spoil that for you. It’s beautiful, and melancholic and contradictory all in one go. Which are a lot of adjectives for a small village of only 900 families. As you drive in through what was once surely a grand Danish gate, you reach a clean, village with a towering Danish church which would look more in place in, well, Denmark. As you drive towards the Bungalow on the Beach, you realise it’s the only bungalow in the village.
Directly overlooking the beach, the hotel is right next door to the towering Danish Fort and has an ancient Shiva temple flanking it on the other side. Perfectly Tranquebar or should I say Tharangambadi? Either ways, there is a little bit of both.
The hotel itself has been meticulously restored. Almost exactly to its former glory as the ‘Inspectors Bungalow’, the hotel is a typical colonial bungalow – two storeys with 6 rooms upstairs. Surrounding all the rooms is a veranda, part of it overlooking the sea. Of course, the Neemrana staple of gorgeous furniture and art or maps through the ages depicting Tranquebar are everywhere. The perfect white cane chairs and tables dot the veranda making them wonderful extensions to your rooms.
The rooms are colourful, with four poster beds with their own curtains and tall, tall windows letting in the sea breeze and light. The hotel has a young garden and a swimming pool as well, though the sea is a much better option, obviously. Here, the wind is king. Constantly roaring in your ears, making the thin muslin curtains fluttering and mingled with the sound of the sea, it is a melancholic partner that makes you contemplate dumbly.
The views from the rooms are either sea facing, towards the garden or overlooking the very modern, though very old Danish Fort – in its light cream coating and stark lines contrasting sharply with the deep blue sky of Tranquebar. Incidentally, Tranquebar has the thickest ozone layer in India and the air is supposed to be very good for you.
If this isn’t all, the entire village segregates its garbage, which is sent to a bio-gas unit that in turn supplies free gas to the entire village. The non-biodegradable waste gets sent to a recycling plant which converts the waste into electric holders and junction boxes. There are now plans for a de-centralized waste water treatment plant for the village. And you can see this for yourself. If you go for a walk around the village you’ll see how clean and happy the people in the village are.
Neemrana has also helped renovate two other houses in the village, with the help of INTACH, and has taken over the management of a government hotel in the village. Rooms are available in these houses if you want more ‘Tharangambadi’ than ‘Tranquebar’. There is even a beautiful swimming pool in the Gate House, and it makes for a lovely stay in the middle of the village.
Unfortunately, Tranquebar is under the threat of going under water and three streets of the village have already gone under. To prevent this, INTACH has now gone on a coastal plantation programme, planting mangroves and Casurina trees.
Stay
A Neemrana room can’t really ever go wrong, and the Bungalow at the Beach is no different. There are beautiful tall four poster beds and long windows that overlook magnificent views. Each room is decorated in a different colour. My room was a warm orange, with the walls and the curtains on my bed in the same colour. Waking up surrounded by fluttering orange muslin was like being in a dream.
Interestingly, the rooms are not at colonial in décor. The theme is more, well, ‘bungalow on the beach’. Bright colours and thin natural materials. My bedside table was a whole piece of a tree trunk. A beautiful antique chest was the space to put your bags in. Small touches like a huge aromatic candle, and a place to hang your costume etc in the room were nice. The rooms get bigger with the price and the best rooms are on the top floor facing the sea.
The Gate House and the Nayak House rooms are decorated in traditional Tamil style and are very tastefully done. The bathrooms here are actually much larger than those at the bungalow and there are separate doors in each room that open out to the gardens and the veranda surrounding the rooms.
Dine
The food is typical Indian with some recipes that are typical of the Neemrana chain. For example, the fabulous dark chocolate mousse is repeated to perfection here. Breakfast is abundant with eggs, cereal and a traditional South Indian dish – besides the tried and tested idli/dosa(rice pancakes), they serve a delicious upma (a tasty preparation of spices and steamed rice flour). Lunch and dinner is authentic Tamil food with some interesting continental seafood options. The Saffron Prawns were divine!
However, if you are here for more than a couple of days, the food might start getting a bit tiresome due to the limited menu. In fact, there is no menu – all meals here are buffet.
The village of Tranquebar is not very large but there seems to be a lot one can do – mostly due to the strange amalgamation of Danish and Tamil influences. A tour of the grand and towering Danish Fort right next door to the hotel promises to be an interesting trip. In fact, the hotel has some interesting blueprints of the fort that might be informative for before you go there.
On the other side of the hotel is an ancient crumbling Shiva templethat was built in the 12th century! It is slowly being eaten up by the sea it is on but that only makes it all the more romantic. A beautiful place to come during sunrise.
But by far the most interesting thing would be to do your own tour of the village. There is a Heritage Walking Map available to help you, I won’t spoil the fun but make sure you encompass Goldsmith Street where INTACH and Neemrana have carefully restored some of the old Tamilian houses to their former glory. How knows you might choose change rooms for a night.
Besides all the history and cultural learnings, the thing to do here is to just relax, watch the ‘singing waves’ (Tharangampadi means the ‘Town of the singing waves’) and maybe have a swim. The swimming pool at the bungalow is too close to the sea and is very windy but you could ask the manager if you could use the pool at the Gate House which is beautiful. Though there is a serene, pristine beach walking distance from the hotel, the tide can get a bit dangerous.
When I was there, several guests had brought their own painting materials and books, and it seems like the perfect place to come and just do your own thing!
The Neemrana Hotel along with INTACH (The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) has basically converted this sleepy town into the tourism attraction that it is today. Painstaking work, effort and a lot of money has gone into restoring the Bungalow on the Beach back to its 17th century glory. From the ceilings to the old chandeliers, even old lithographs and maps have been restored back to perfection. The project started with the Neemrana hotel but was soon enlarged to include the now beautiful Danish Church as well as quite a few Tamil village homes in the area.
There are still old Danish ruins and some old homes in the village that have been left neglected, giving you a feel of how much Neemrana has transformed Tranquebar – providing a much needed form of income for the villagers.
They use only cotton and natural materials as linen, and have a request for every guest in his room to reuse towels to save water. The staff is also trained to reduce wastage as much as possible. Bathrooms are designed with water saving fittings. Gray water is recycled to water the gardens and rain water is harvested.
Interestingly, the entire village segregates its garbage, which is sent to a bio-gas unit that in turn supplies free gas to the entire village. The non-biodegradeable waste gets sent to a recycling plant which converts the waste into electric holders and junction boxes. There are now plans for a de-centralized waste water treatment plant for the village. And you can see this for yourself. If you go for a walk around the village you’ll see how clean and happy the people in the village are.
Neemrana has also helped renovate two other houses in the village, with the help of INTACH, and has taken over the management of a government hotel in the village.
Unfortunately, Tranquebar is under the threat of going under water and three streets of the village have already gone under. To prevent this, INTACH has now gone on a coastal plantation programme, planting mangroves and Casurina trees.
What’s Hot!
- The proximity to the beach
- Unique location.
- Beautifully restored building, a must for historians, architects and aficionados of the best of the colonial times.
What’s Not!
- If you are on the ground floor, you might feel a loss of privacy if there are crowds on the beach.
- The food might get similar if you are there for more than 3 days.
- The bathrooms are a little cramped.
Ideal For Whom
Anyone who needs some peace and quiet from the rest of India! This place is so relaxing, it is perfect for single travellers and couples needing a break. Those interested in the colonial history of India, architects, heritage lovers and Danes will love it!
When To Visit
The best time to visit Tranquebar is during the winter. From November to February the temperatures are milder with mornings and evenings getting quite cool. The maximum temperature is 20° C and the minimum being 5° C.
Due to the constant sea wind, it is unlikely to ever get really stuffy here though the summer heat can reach 42° C at its peak! I can imagine the monsoon period between July – October being quite romantic here!
How Many Days
A perfect stay here would be two nights and three days – you would be able to take in all the sights and have some time to rejuvenate. However, a few days more will get you really ready to face the chaos that is the rest of India!
Things To Bring
Carry a good book, some writing/painting material, a camera, sun glasses, a hat and good walking shoes. A swimsuit if you are going in the right season.
Tranquebar is 279 km south from Chennai along the coast.
By Road:
Car: Tranquebar is a smooth drive from Chennai. Exit Chennai from Thiruvanmiyur to catch the East Coast Road to Pondicherry via Mahabalipuram and Marakkanam. The ECR continues south from here as NH 45 A to Tharangambadi (Tranquebar) via Cuddalore, Alapakkam, Chidambaram and Sirkazhi.
By Bus: Two TNSETC buses leave at 8 pm and 9 pm for Tharangambadi (Tranquebar) from Chennai’s Metropolitan Bus Terminus (Tel: 044-24794705) at Koyambedu, arriving 10 hrs later in the early morning at Tranquebar.
By Rail:
Nearest railhead: Mayiladuthurai Station (40 km/ 1 hr), but connections with Chennai are not convenient for a weekend break.
Francis Wacziarg was born aboard a Portuguese ship in the Caribbean Sea, and spent his childhood in Cuba, Morocco and France. While working as a French diplomat in Mumbai and then as head of the representative office of a French Bank in New Delhi, Francis developed a deep passion for India’s cultural heritage and decided to settle here in the 1970s. Today Francis and Aman Nath are the co-founders of Neemrana Hotels.
The pair first went into the hotel business in 1986, when they bought the Neemrana, then a dilapidated fort on top of an escarpment in the desert southwest of Delhi. Their company, the Neemrana Group, now comprises ten restored properties and is often lumped with the loosely organized Heritage Hotel movement in India. But where a typical Heritage property is a large prince’s palace, the Neemrana hotels span the map of India and seven centuries of architectural history. Most of them are fairly small, and each had a different original use.
“We don’t just have a commercial interest in setting up these hotels. We call our chain `non-hotel hotels’ because they are home away from home. The buildings should look like a house from which the family has moved out leaving behind furniture, photographs and other objects.” Francis says, “There is a new consciousness among Indians to preserve the old. Earlier, they would construct a new building when the old one crumbles. Another thing is that India has always been a country of builders. They keep building in memory of their elders (pitru pooja). This is good in a way because India is full of treasures. Now is the time when you have to try and avoid demolition of old buildings…we are trying to create that consciousness.”
“Heritage lovers, peace-and-quiet lovers, luxury lovers – all rejoice. Next year you will all have an excellent reason to visit tranquil Tranquebar on the Tamil Nadu coast…Heritage hotel experts, the Nemmrana Group, are restoring old structures. We look forward to another tasteful hotel that does no disservice to its environment.”
April 2003, Outlook, New Delhi
