INDO-DANISH HISTORICAL
AND CULTURAL TIES
Tranquebar – The first Danish steps into India
The history between Denmark and India has its beginning
in 1620 when the Danish envoy, Ove Gjedde arrived in
Tranquebar situated on the Coromandel Coast. Ove Gjedde
was the head of the first Danish trading expedition to India.
He came to India with the hope of signing a contract between
the Danish King Christian IV and the King of Tanjore, Nayak
Ragunatha. A few months after his arrival, the Danish
trading station was established, and a foundation for a
cultural relation between Denmark and India was hereby
founded.
The Danish trading station lasted more than 200 years and
during this period, the Danes constituted a small minority
of around 200-300 people. The approximate total number
of inhabitants in Tranquebar was 3000. Throughout the
Danish presence in Tranquebar, the Danes tried to uphold
a Danish way of living and they comprised a small Danish
community. As a result, you can still feel and experience the
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memory of Denmark, when you visit the small fisherman
town today. Within the town walls are streets with Danish
names, the Fort Dansborg built by Ove Gjedde, Colonial
Tranquebar