Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Historical Sites Near Chennai - Sadras Fort

Sadras (Saduranga pattinam) is an old Dutch fort that is located just past Mahabalipuram, near the Kalpakkam atomic power plant. A flourishing weaver settlement during the medieval period, Sadras became a Dutch settlement after they obtained it in 1612 from the rulers of Carnatic. The Dutch East India Company established a factory, essentially to produce and trade the famous muslin cloth till the settlement was razed to the ground in British bombardment. This fort had a small settlement of Dutch traders. The Dutch traders used this fort to export goods from India. In mid 17th century, the British attacked and took over this fort. The first battle between British East India Company and the Dutch started here as Battle of Sadras. It has a cemetery of Dutch East India Company or VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie) soldiers and officers. It is now maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India in efforts to contain further dilapidation of this great monument.Fort walls
Restored Granary - outside view
Partially restored warehouse/granary
Ruins of the fort
The Ponniyin Selvam group atop the walls
The group scaling the ruined fort walls
Within the fort is a cemetery with exquisitely engraved granite tombstones, the inscriptions on them giving the details of the Dutch buried there. One tombstone has a beautiful bas relief of a vessel with sails, another is chiselled with a coat of arms, a third has a rose, and so on. The inscriptions on the tombstones tell tragic tales of the dead
Insignias on the tombstone
The cemetry at the Dutch fort
Cannons at the fort entrance
A cannon at the entrance of the fort

For detailed writeup and more pictures log onto: http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2010/stories/20030523000106500.htm

16 comments:

  1. Wonderful place. I hope I will see it one day with my own eyes. Thanks for sharing

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  2. I love your pictures and your writings. Warm regards. Philip

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  3. Beautiful.Thanks for taking us on a virtual tour. Thought you have taken a long leave but found your comment in another friends blog today and I am here.

    Happy Pongal to you and your family

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  4. Hello Ram:)

    Greetings:)

    Lovely photos of the ancient fort, cemetery and cannons.

    This place is surely steeped in history and takes us back to the days of colonialism. Foreign nations fought wars on our soil to gain control.

    It was interesting to read your painstaking research.

    Have a nice day Ram:)
    Joseph

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  5. Wish you and your family a very happy and prosperous new year and also Happy Pongal.
    I appreciate for your wonderful post with excellent pictures.

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  6. Beautiful post of little known place. Read bout this place, earlier when wanted to tour Tamil Nadu. But never got to see the snaps of this place. Very nice.

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  7. Wonderful views of the ancient fort. Very nice place. Thanks for sharing this interesting tour!
    I wish you a Happy 2010!

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  8. Wonderful post
    thanks for sharing :-)
    Nice to see you back !!!

    (@^.^@)

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  9. i have seen this place but never gone inside may be this Sunday i will go there

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  10. I've been here today...it's still being the same.... I like your collection.

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  11. inpite of being born and brought up there, i never got a chance to see the place..

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  12. Thank you for visit my blog, i think i will read more your blog because you have a lot of south india post, the place that i adore so much, because the religious life and old history.

    Greet from Indonesia

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  13. Unfortunately it is not open for Public and it is badly protected and people near by especially the fisher folks near by use it as shitting place. Very sad state of affairs...

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