What Was Impact of Danish Enterprises in South India?

Limited as it was in comparison with the Portuguese, Dutch and English trade, the Danish enterprise in Kerala in this direction was conspicuous for its uncommon features. While all other foreign companies indulged in political interference and territorial acquisitions, the Danes kept themselves aloof from all entangling alliances and concentrated their attention on commercial activities alone.

Never did they think it expedient or necessary to side with one native power against another, and make capital out of it-a practice successfully followed by other powers. Nor did they pay attention to extra-commercial activities in the land. There was neither flamboyance of posture nor excess of cordiality. Likewise, the Danish merchants could never be accused of religious bigotry and propaganda; for that matter they seldom bothered about religion.

Though not very conspicuous, the Danes have left their mark on South India during the heyday of their existence here. Of all the centers with which they had commercial contacts, it was in Tranquebar that they left indelible evidence to this effect. They are said to have assisted the Nayaks in adorning the great Brihatiswara temple at Tanjore and other public works. Commencing upon the peculiarity of this temple F.R. Hemingway writes:

Another curious fact is that a European is to be found among the figures on the north side of the tower. The popular belief is that this is the figure of a Dane who helped to build the temple. It is probably the case that both the European figures and the Vaishnavite figures were erected by the Nayaks, and that they were assisted by a Dane or Danes shortly or shortly before the acquisition of Tranquebar by that nation in 1620. It is a fact that Roelant Crape, the pioneer of Danish enterprise in the country, had been at the court of Tanjore in his youth, and it seems not unlikely that the European statue represents some Danes who assisted the Nayak in his building”. The construction of iron cannon, nearly 30 ft. and over 3 ft. long in diameter, which still rests on one of the eastern bastions of the fort at Tranquebar is also ascribed to Crape.

In Tranquebar the Danes had a mint from which they issued a variety of coins, which are of considerable interest and value to the students of numismatics. Much type of lead, copper and silver coins minted here and in Copenhagen has recently come to light. Rarities collected from the shore of Tranquebar earlier are also of substantial number.

With its age-long history of devastating floods Tranquebar’s coins are still being uncovered on the beach by heavy storms. Local inhabitants comb the sands there to pick up the remnants of the Danish past in order to supplement their income.

The “coin beach”, a stretch of shoreline, half a mile long has presented a large hoard of Danish-India coins besides Raja Chola coppers, later Pandya pieces and Naik coins of the sixteenth century, with a stray lead cash of the Dutch Nagapatam. These are periodically washed ashore by the repetitive process of violent floods. The very name Tranquebar derived from the term “Tharangabadi’ meaning “the wavewashed village” suggests the early incursions of the sea.

There are over a hundred major varieties of lead coins struck at Tranquebar. New types are also coming to light. Names of Danish ships appear as legends on the early coins. Multiplicity of types and varieties of coins, suggest a brisk trade carried on by the Danes by paying cash in Indian market. These lead, copper and silver pieces were exchangeable into Indian silver fanams.

This also indicates that the Danes had few commodities to give in exchange for Indian products. “Up until the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century there were comparatively east-bound ships rarely carried a full cargo,” says John C.F. Gray. The deficiency of saleable products was met by the payment of purchase price in metallic cash as there was great demand in India for metals, both precious and base. The metals they brought as ballast for their part-jaden vessels were later converted into coins to be circulated as legal tender in India.

The types of Danish coins include (a) definite ships’ names (or their symbols) (b) Danish place names (or their emblems) (c) religious propaganda (e.g. GVD, meaning ‘God’, IEHVAH, IHS), (d) the, initials T.R. or T.B. (for Trankebar), DB or DSB (for Dansborg) (e) the unit of value KAS or CAS, and if) the company’s monogram DOC.

A singularly interesting gold pagoda struck by the Danes is also there bearing on the obverse the crowned monogram of King Christian VII of Denmark and on the reverse the Persian letter said to be Haider Ali’s initial. This coin clearly indicates the Danish recognition of the Mysore ruler’s over-lordship.

The Danes have, through their missionaries, played a great part in the religious annals of modern India. The first Protestant mission in India was founded at Tranquebar in 1706 by two young German pastors, Heinrich Plutschau and Bartholamaus Zeigenbalg, who were sent out by the King of Denmark (Ringeltaube’s London Missionary Society started work in Travancore only by 1806).

Like the Company, the Danish church was a royal institution. It is said on behalf of a certain Danish political offender, who spent the last days of his life (1680 to 1691) at Tranqeubar under sentence of transportation that he translated the Bible and preached in the streets; but no traces of his work seem to have survived him.

At the very outset the Danish missionary activities at Tranquebar received the backing of the English at Chennai. Lewis (1681-1714), the Chaplain of Chennai was in sympathy with the Danish missionary works. Interested in educational matters he had the Bible and Catechism translated into Portuguese language and sent the translation for the perusal and comments of Zeigenbalg.

It is recorded that “J.E. Grundler, an associate of Zeigenbalg, obtained permission from the English to start a charity school either at Chennai or Davanapatam (or Fort St. David). The school was eventually brought into existence and the S.P.C.K. engaged two missionaries (both of them Malabar Christians) educated under the Danish Mission at Tranquebar and these Indians were found to be more serviceable than the Europeans who constantly came and went”. Ziegenbalg is the author of a quaint but valuable description of South Indian gods which is held in high esteem on the interesting subject of Tamil village deities.

Among the European community in Tranquebar, the Danish missionaries were very popular. This trend gathered momentum with the arrival of a contingent of Swiss soldiers in 1750 to whom English chaplains could not minister, the ministration of the Danish clergymen being more acceptable to them. However, the progress and popularity of the Protestants were distasteful to the Romanists of Tanjore.

From Tranquebar the missionary activities spread to Cuddalore, Chennai and, in the interior, to Tanjore, Trichinopoly and Palayamkotta. Ziegenbalg had made some expedi­tions into the interior, but was not allowed to proceed to Tanjore. In 1721, however, one of his successors, Schultz, corresponded with the King and thereby secured an invitation to visit Tanjore. But he could not avail the opportunity. In 1729, the missionary Prissier was allowed to proceed there.

In 1753 Wiedebroke, another missionary was warmly received by the King, and this was followed by the frequent visits of missionaries to Tanjore. Christian Frederick Schwartz was the greatest of the Tranquebar evangelists who worked for eleven years there. In 1762 he founded the mission at Trichinopoly. Later on he joined the English missionary society (the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge) and it was as a member of that body that his chief work was put through.

The English at Chennai as already referred to, were in sympathy with the Danish missionary activities and educational efforts. They established schools at Tranquebar, Nagapatam, Cuddalore and Vellore and tried to ameliorate the condition of the poorer sections in the society. The Directors of the East India Company in London bestowed special favours on them by the Danes kept themselves aloof from all entangling alliances and concentrated their attention on commercial activities alone.

Never did they think it expedient or necessary to side with one native power against another, and make capital out of it-a practice successfully followed by other powers. Nor did they pay attention to extra-commercial activities in the land. There was neither flamboyance of posture nor excess of cordiality. Likewise, the Danish merchants could never be accused of religious bigotry and propa­ganda; for that matter they seldom bothered about religion.

Though not very conspicuous, the Danes have left their mark on South India during the heyday of their existence here. Of all the centers with which they had commercial contacts, it was in Tranquebar that they left indelible evidence to this effect. They are said to have assisted the Nayaks in adorning the great Brihatiswara temple at Tanjore and other public works.

Commencing upon the peculiarity of this temple F.R. Hemingway writes: “Another curious fact is that a European is to be found among the figures on he north side of the tower. The popular belief is that this is the figure of a Dane who helped to build the temple. It is probably the case that both the European figures and the Vaishnavite figures were erected by the Nayaks, and that they were assisted by a Dane or Danes shortly before or shortly after the acquisition of Tranquebar by that nation in 1620.

It is a fact that Roelant Crape, the pioneer of Danish enterprise in the country, had been at the court of Tanjore in his youth, and it seems not unlikely that the European statue represents some Danes who assisted the Nayak in his building”. The construction of iron cannon, nearly 30 ft. long and over 3 ft. in diameter, which still rests on one of the eastern bastions of the fort at Tranquebar is also ascribed to Crape.

In Tranquebar the Danes had a mint from which they issued a variety of coins, which are of considerable interest and value to the students of numismatics. Many type of lead, copper and silver coins minted here and in Copenhagen have recently come to light, Rarities collected from the shore of Tranquebar earlier are also of substantial number.

With its age-long history of devastating floods Tranquebar’s coins are still being uncovered on the beach by heavy storms. Local inhabitants comb the sands there to pick up the remnants of the Danish past in order to supplement their income.

The “coin beach”, a stretch shoreline, half a mile long has presented a large hoard of Danish-India coins besides Raja Chola coppers, later Pandya pieces and Naik coins of the sixteenth century, with a stray lead cash of the Dutch Nagapatam. These are periodically washed ashore by the repetitive process of violent floods. The very name Tranquebar derived from the term “Tharangabadi’ meaning “the wave washed village” suggests the early incursions of the sea.

There are over a hundred major varieties of lead coins struck at Tranquebar. New types are also coming to light. Names of Danish ships appear as legends on the early coins. Multiplicity of types and varieties of coins, suggest a brisk trade carried on by the Danes by paying cash in Indian market. These lead, copper and silver pieces were exchangeable into Indian silver fanams. This also indicates that the Danes had few commodities to give in exchange for Indian products.

“Up until the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century there were comparatively east-bound ships rarely carried a full cargo,” says John C.F. Gray. The deficiency of saleable products was met by the payment of purchase price in metallic cash as there was great demand in India for metals, both precious and base, the metals they brought as ballast for their part-jaden vessels were later converted into coins to be circulated as legal tender in India.

From Tranquebar the missionary activities spread to Cuddalore, Chennai and, in the interior, to Tanjore, Trichinopoly and Palayamkotta. Ziegenbalg had made some expedi­tions into the interior, but was not allowed to proceed to Tanjore. In 1721, however, one of his successors, Schultz, corresponded with the King and thereby secured an invitation to visit Tanjore. But he could not avail the opportunity. In 1729, the missionary Prissier was allowed to proceed there.

In 1753 Wiedebroke, another missionary was warmly received by the King, and this was followed by the frequent visits of missionaries to Tanjore. Christian Frederick Schwartz was the greatest of the Tranquebar evangelists who worked for eleven years there. In 1762 he founded the mission at Trichinopoly. Later on he joined the English missionary society (the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge) and it was as a member of that body that his chief work was put through.

The English at Chennai as already referred to, were in sympathy with the Danish missionary activities and educational efforts. They established schools at Tranquebar, Nagapatam, Cuddlier and Vellore and tried to ameliorate the condition of the poorer sections in the society. The Directors of the East India Company in London bestowed special favours on them by sending books for libraries free of freight. Gradually however, the Tranquebar mission dropped and withered away and by 1820 that town ceased to be a seat of evangelistic activity.

A Prussian by birth and a Lutheran by denomination William Tobias Ringletaube travelled in a Danish ship and landed at Tranquebar, where he stayed for some time to learn Tamil. Later on he concentrated at Palayamokotta, Tinnevelly District, and finally shifted to Milady, in South Travancore. He was actively supported by Col. Macaulay, the British Resident at Travancore. The London Mission Society, fostered by these Missionary, made a tremendous impact on the religious and social life of Travancore.

The Danish presence in South India, unlike that of other European powers who established themselves here, produced not even a ripple in the political life of the land. The limited resources of Denmark and the unenthusiastic and capricious royal support extended to the Danish Company were no match to the rivals in the field who were actively taken in tow by their respective sovereigns in times of distress.

Their passive, straightforward and pacific policies were inoperative in a hot climate of aggressive political and commercial rivalries, intrigues and maneuverings of powerful adversaries. Absence of military support was a glaring deficiency for their successful existence and commercial prospects. Despite their artlessness and unsophistication the Danes were never taken into confidence by local sovereigns; nor did they exert themselves for winning the cordiality and friendship of the latter.

They were traders pure and simple; but purity in purpose and simplicity in performance on the political and commercial plane would not deliver goods when the rivals were engaged in foul play and dissimulation, without any qualm of conscience, to stabilize their influence in one, native state or another.