Tharangambadi, 'dancing waves' in Tamil, was once a small village on the Coromandel coast in south-east India. In 1620, a Danish admiral, ambassador of  the King of Denmark, arrived here to study pepper  trade options. The Dances christened the village 'Tranquebar' and erected a distinctive Danish Fort, 'Dansborg'. In the 1690s many Danes bought houses in the area and gradually a small Danish township took shape, with a Tamil colony beyond.                                                                                                                                                                                                                

            A majestic gate, built in 1792, drives you into a long, continuous streetscape.  To its right lies The Gate House, spacious six bedroom traditional Tamil house encircled with a verandah and gardens on three sides nestling a swimming pool.  The Gate House, scheduled for late 2007, completes the Neemrana ‘non-hotels’ presence in Tranquebar with its colonial “Bungalow on the Beach” and Hotel Tamil Nadu, a budget hotel.