Dutch Coromandel Coromandel | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1608–1825 | |||||||||
![]() Dutch Coromandel (in blue) within Dutch India | |||||||||
Status | Factory | ||||||||
Capital | Pulicat (1610–1690; 1781–1795) Nagapatnam (1690–1781) Sadras (1818–1825) | ||||||||
Common languages | Dutch | ||||||||
Governor | |||||||||
• 1608–1610 | Pieter Issack Eyloff | ||||||||
• 1636–1638 | Carel Reyniersz | ||||||||
• 1663–1665 | Cornelis Speelman | ||||||||
• 1824–1825 | Henry Francis von Söhsten | ||||||||
Historical era | Imperialism | ||||||||
• Permission to build a fort in Pulicat | 1608 | ||||||||
1 June 1825 | |||||||||
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Coromandel was a governorate of the Dutch East India Company on the coasts of the Coromandel region from 1610, until the company's liquidation in 1798. Dutch presence in the region began with the capture of Pulicat from the Portuguese in Goa and Bombay-Bassein. Coromandel remained a colony of the Kingdom of the Netherlands until 1825, when it was relinquished to the British according to the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. It was part of what is today called Dutch India. [1]
In 1606, a Dutch ship stopped on the shores of the Karimanal Village near Pulicat, north of the mouth of the lake requesting water. [3] Local Muslims offered food and help to the Dutch. They struck a trade partnership to procure and supply local merchandise to the Dutch for trade in the East Indies. [4]
Empress Eraivi, a wife of Emperor Venkata II of Vijayanagara, ruled Prelaya Kaveri and during her reign in 1608 the Dutch East India Company was given permission to build a fort and do trading. [5] They built a fort named Geldria at Pulicat as a defense from other invading armies' kings and the Portuguese, from where they soon monopolized the lucrative textiles trade with the East Indies and other countries in the region. [6] Under pressure from the Dutch, an English trading post was established in 1619, but this post was disbanded in 1622. [7] The Dutch establishment met with stiff resistance from the Portuguese, who conducted several attacks on the harbor. In 1611, Venkatatapati turned against the Portuguese and the Jesuits were ordered to leave Chandragiri and the Dutch were permitted to build a fort at Pulicat.
The Portuguese tried unsuccessfully to recapture Pulicat in 1614, 1623, and 1633, but never succeeded. [8] [9] [10] From 1616 to 1690, Pulicat was the official headquarters of Dutch Coromandel.
Manufacture of cloth for export was the sole occupation of several indigenous groups in Pulicat and the hinterlands of Tamil, Telugu and Kannada territories, and it is likely that over 1,000 handlooms operated in Pulicat alone. [11] In the 1620s, the Dutch East India Company established a gunpowder factory in Pulicat. Its output was so substantial that for several decades it was able to keep many of the major Dutch trading centers in the East Indies and homeward-bound fleets well supplied. [12] In 1615, the first VOC mint in India was established in Fort Gelria where, initially, "Kas" copper coins with VOC monogram and a Sanskrit legend were minted. [13] The Pulicat mint operated till 1674, when a new mint was established at Nagapattinam. These coins were widely used in Ceylon. [14]
The headquarters of the colony shifted to Nagapattinam in 1690, after the Dutch had begun working on their Fort Vijf Sinnen three years earlier. The heavily armed fort in the end proved useless in the 1781 siege of Negapatam, in which the British took the fort. In the Treaty of Paris of 1784, which ended the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War of which this siege was part, Nagapattinam was not restored to Dutch rule, but instead remained British. The headquarters of the colony shifted back to Pulicat. [13]
By the early 18th century, Pulicat's population has been estimated to have declined to just over 10,000. [15] In 1746, the monsoon failed, resulting in a devastating famine. In the larger towns of Pulicat and Santhome alone the death toll was put at 15,000 and only one third of the textile weavers, painters and washers survived. Cloth prices increased 15% and little was available even at that price. An even more significant cause of the Dutch decline was conquest of the area by the Golconda forces commanded by Mir Jumla. [16]
Owing to the Kew Letters written by Dutch stadtholder William V, British troops occupied Dutch Coromandel to prevent it from being overrun by the French. Dutch governor Jacob Eilbracht capitulated to the British on 15 July 1795. [17] In 1804, British forces blew up Fort Geldria. [18]
The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 restored Dutch Coromandel to Dutch rule. A commission under the leadership of Jacob Andries van Braam was installed by the Dutch East Indies government on 28 June 1817 to effect the transfer of the Dutch possessions on the Indian subcontinent, which arrived on the Coromandel Coast in January 1818. [19] After protracted negotiations, the Dutch possessions were eventually handed over on 31 March 1818, with a ceremonial striking of the Union Jack in Fort Sadras, the new capital of Dutch Coromandel, and a subsequent hoisting of the Dutch flag. [20] F. C. Regel was installed as the new governor of Dutch Coromandel, who now went by the title of opperhoofd. [21] Regel was succeeded in 1824 by the young administrator Henricus Franciscus von Söhsten. [22]
The restoration of Dutch rule did not last long. On 1 June 1825, seven years after the possessions were restored to the Dutch, Dutch Coromandel was again ceded to the British, owing to the provisions of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. [23]
Except for two short breaks, Dutch rule of Pulicat lasted for 214 years between 1606 and 1825 till the King of Arcot acceded Chingleput District (which included Pulicat village) to the British in 1825. [24]
Pulicat today bears silent testimony to the Dutch, with the Dutch Fort dating back to 1609 in ruins, a Dutch Church and Cemetery with 22 protected tombs dating from 1631 to 1655 and another Dutch Cemetery with 76 tombs and mausoleums protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). [25] [26] [27] Dutch architects and scholars now intend to support efforts to restore these early Dutch settlements. The Dutch Hospital building in Pulicat dating from 1640 is to be renovated in the near future. [28]
Sadras still features a Dutch fort and a cemetery. [29] Although the remains of Fort Vijf Sinnen and the Dutch cemetery in Nagapattinam have almost completely vanished, the Dutch Saint Peter's Church, Nagapattinam still remains standing. [30] Near Masulipatam, there are remnants of the Dutch-built Bandar Fort and a Dutch cemetery. [31] [32] [33] Bheemunipatnam features two Dutch cemeteries and some remnants of Dutch colonial buildings. [34] [35] Tuticorin, which was governed from Dutch Ceylon until 1796, but became a residency of Dutch Coromandel in 1817 after Ceylon was relinquished to the British, still features the Holy Trinity Church, Tuticorin, built by the Dutch. [36] Porto Novo, there are many grave cemetery which was in use 1686 are remains till now. [37] The Dutch was used till 1730s. [38]
Settlement | Type | Established | Disestablished | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fort Geldria (Pulicat) | Fort and factory | 1613 | 1825 | After having been granted to establish a factory in Pulicat in 1608, the local ruler allowed the Dutch to build a fort in 1613. This Fort Geldria remained the principal Dutch fort on the Coromandel Coast until 1690, when the headquarters changed to Nagapattinam. In 1694, large portions of the artillery were shipped to Nagapattinam, but after the latter's loss to the British in 1781, Fort Geldria was reinstated as the capital of the colony. In 1804, Fort Geldria was blown up by British forces. The town was principal in the supply of cotton for the Dutch. |
Fort Vijf Sinnen (Nagapattinam) | Fort and factory | 1658 | 1781 | Captured from the Portuguese in 1658, Nagapattinam first fell under Dutch Ceylon. After a devastating flood in 1680, Fort Vijf Sinnen was built from the rubble. This new fort became the capital of Dutch Coromandel, until it was captured by the British in 1781. |
Fort Sadras | Fort and factory | 1612 | 1825 | First established in 1612, but only in 1654 enlarged into a full factory. In 1749, the Sadras fort was completed. Together with Nagapattinam, it was captured by the British in 1781, but contrary to Nagapattinam, it was given back under the Treaty of Paris (1784). Due to the destruction of Fort Geldria in 1804, Fort Sadras became the capital of Dutch Coromandel in 1818. Sadras was renowned for its high quality cotton, and also supplied bricks for Batavia and Ceylon. |
Fort Bheemunipatnam | Fort and factory | 1652 | 1825 | The local trading post was enlarged into a fort in 1758. Bheemunipatnam primarily traded in rice, and was fundamental for rice shipments to Ceylon. |
Fort Jaggernaikpoeram | Fort and factory | 1734 | 1825 | An important textile trading post after the loss of Draksharama and Palakol (see below). |
Parangippettai | Factory | 1608 | 1825 | The Dutch East India Company settled in 1608 in an old house in Parangippettai, also known as Porto Novo. In 1680 extended into a full factory. |
Palakol | Factory | 1613 | 1825 | Temporarily abandoned in 1730. Trading post for textile, lamp oil, wood, roof tiles, and bricks. |
Masulipatnam | Factory | 1605 | 1756 | Masulipatnam was the first Dutch factory on the Coromandel Coast of India. It was eventually abandoned in 1756. |
Nizampatnam | Factory | 1606 | 1668 | Second Dutch factory on the Coromandel Coast. Abandoned in 1668. |
Tenganapatnam | Factory | 1609 | 1758 | Established in 1609. In 1647, the permission was given to build a fort here. The primary purpose of the settlement was to spy on the British, who had settled in the same town. Abandoned in favour of Parangippettai (Porto Novo) in 1758. |
Golkonda | Factory | 1634 | 1733 | Important staple market for the Dutch East India Company. After having only a local tradesman to their service, the Dutch expanded their presence in Golkonda to a full factory in 1664. Due to local unrest, trade began to diminish in the late 17th century. The factory was eventually abandoned in 1733. |
Draksharama | Factory | 1633 | 1730 | Abandoned in 1730 in favour of Jaggernaikpoeram. |
Thiruppapuliyur | Factory | 1608 | 1625 | Founded in 1608 on the ruins of an old Portuguese fort. Destroyed in 1625 by a local chief. |
Nagulavancha | Factory | 1669 | 1687 | Established inland to have better control over the quality of the locally produced products. Destroyed on 13 October 1687 by locals. |
Pondicherry | Fort and factory | 1693 | 1699 | During the Nine Years' War, the Dutch East India Company laid siege to the French fort of Pondicherry in 1693, whose commander François Martin surrendered on 6 September of the same year. Pondicherry was restored to French rule in 1699, owing to the provisions of the Treaty of Ryswick. |
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)The United East India Company, commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies, it was granted a 21-year monopoly to carry out trade activities in Asia. Shares in the company could be purchased by any citizen of the United Provinces and subsequently bought and sold in open-air secondary markets. The company possessed quasi-governmental powers, including the ability to wage war, imprison and execute convicts, negotiate treaties, strike its own coins, and establish colonies. Also, because it traded across multiple colonies and countries from both the East and the West, the VOC is sometimes considered to have been the world's first multinational corporation.
The Coromandel Coast is the southeastern coastal region of the Indian subcontinent, bounded by the Utkal Plains to the north, the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Kaveri delta to the south, and the Eastern Ghats to the west, extending over an area of about 22,800 square kilometres. The coast has an average elevation of 80 metres and is backed by the Eastern Ghats, a chain of low lying and flat-topped hills.
Pulicat or Pazhaverkadu is a historic seashore town in Chennai Metropolitan Area at Thiruvallur District, of Tamil Nadu state, India. It is about 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Chennai and 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from Elavur, on the southern periphery of the Pulicat Lake. Pulicat lake is a shallow salt water lagoon which stretches about 60 kilometres (37 mi) along the coast. With lakeside and seashore development as well as several Special Economic Zones (SEZs) including a US$1 billion Medical SEZ, coming up in nearby Elavur, land prices in the area are rising.
Pulicat Lake is the second largest brackish water lagoon in India,, measuring 759 square kilometres (293 sq mi). A major part of the lagoon lies in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh. The lagoon is one of three important wetlands that attracts northeast monsoon rain clouds during the October to December season. The lagoon comprises the following regions: Pulicat Lake, Marshy/Wetland Land Region (AP), Venadu Reserve Forest (AP), and Pernadu Reserve Forest (AP). The lagoon was cut across in the middle by the Sriharikota Link Road, which divided the water body into lagoon and marshy land. The lagoon encompasses the Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary. The barrier island of Sriharikota separates the lagoon from the Bay of Bengal and is home to the Indian Space Research Organisation's Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
Bengal was a directorate of the Dutch East India Company in Mughal Bengal between 1610 until the company's liquidation in 1800. It then became a colony of the Kingdom of the Netherlands until 1825, when it was relinquished to the British according to the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. Dutch presence in the region started by the establishment of a trading post at Pipili in the mouth of Subarnarekha River in Odisha. The former colony is part of what is today called Dutch India. Bengal was the source of 50% of the textiles and 80% of the raw silk imported from Asia by the Dutch.
Dutch India consisted of the settlements and trading posts of the Dutch East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. It is only used as a geographical definition, as there was never a political authority ruling all Dutch India. Instead, Dutch India was divided into the governorates Dutch Ceylon and Dutch Coromandel, the commandment Dutch Malabar, and the directorates Dutch Bengal and Dutch Suratte.
Philips Baelde or Philippus Baldaeus, was a Dutch minister. He went to Jaffna during the Dutch period in Ceylon with an invading Dutch force. As the second European after Abraham Rogerius, in his illustrated Description of the East Indian Countries of Malabar, Coromandel, Ceylon, etc. he documented the life, language and culture of the Tamil people, living in the north of the island. It was initially published in Dutch and German, while the English translation was published by the Ceylon Government Railway (1960).
The ruins of Alamparai Fort lie near Kadappakkam in India, a village 50 km from Mamallapuram on the land overlooking the sea. Constructed in the late 17th century during the Mughal era, the Alamparai Fort once had a 100-metre long dockyard stretching into the sea, from which zari cloth, salt, and ghee were exported. During 1735 AD it was ruled by Nawab Doste Ali Khan. In 1750, for the services rendered by the famous French commander Dupleix to Subedar Muzaphar Jung, the fort was given to the French. When French were defeated by the British, the fort was captured and demolished in 1760 AD. More recently the structure was damaged in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
Rijcklof Volckertsz. van Goens was the Governor of Zeylan and Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. He was the Governor of Zeylan from 12 May 1660 to 1661, then in 1663 and finally from 19 November 1664 to 1675 during the Dutch period in Ceylon. He was also served as Council Member of India during 1679. Van Goens’ managed to monopolize the cinnamon trade, get hold of the Malabar pepper and drive away the Portuguese from Ceylon and the Coromandel Coast for the VOC.
The History of Pulicat revolves around the early role of Pulicat as a seaport in one of the few natural harbours on the Coromandel Coast of South India. Pulicat is in Tamil Nadu at the mouth of Pulicat lake. Worth a visit to AARDE Pulicat Museum located in Kottai Kuppam road at Pazhaverkadu will give the detailed account on the history of Pulicat.
Dutch Suratte, officially Nederlandse vestiging van Suratte, was a directorate of the Dutch East India Company between 1616 and 1795, with its main factory in the city of Surat. Surat was an important trading city of the Mughal Empire on the river Tapti, and the Portuguese had been trading there since 1540. In the early 17th century, Portuguese traders were displaced by English and Dutch traders.
Fort Geldria or Fort Geldaria, located in Pulicat, Tamil Nadu, was the seat of the Dutch Republic's first settlement in India, and the capital of Dutch Coromandel. It was built by the Dutch East India Company in 1613 and became the local governmental centre in 1616. It was named for Geldria, the native province of Wemmer van Berchem, the General Director of the company. Regularly protected by a garrison of 80 to 90 men, Fort Geldria was the only fortification in the Indian empire; all other positions of the Dutch Company were trading posts.
Willem Jacobszoon Coster was a Dutch colonial governor who served as the first Governor of Dutch Ceylon from 13 March until 17 August 1640. He was succeeded by Jan Thyszoon Payart.
Nagapattinam Port is a port in the South Indian town of Nagapattinam in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a natural port located in the shores of Bay of Bengal. The port came to prominence during the period of Medieval Cholas and served as their important port for commerce and east bound naval expeditions. Nagapattinam was settled by the Portuguese and, later, the Dutch under whom it served as the capital of Dutch Coromandel from 1660 to 1781 CE. In November 1781, the town was conquered by the British East India Company. The port was an important port for the colonial empires until Thoothukudi port became the primary port in the Coromandel Coast.
India–Netherlands relations are the foreign relations between India and the Netherlands. India maintains an embassy in The Hague, Netherlands and the Netherlands maintains an embassy in New Delhi and a consulate general in Mumbai. Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1947 the same year India became independent.
Fort Vijf Sinnen was a fortification made by the Dutch East India Company in Nagapattinam, then part of Dutch Coromandel (1610-1798), now Tamil Nadu. The fortification, also described as a castle, was built to protect the interests of the trading company, which shifted the capital of the Coromandel operation from Pulicat to Nagapattinam in 1690, three years after work began on the fort.
Jacob Gotfried Haafner was a German-Dutch travel writer who lived in and wrote extensively on India and Ceylon. His travelogues were noted for their Romantic undertones, lively descriptions of Indian cultures and peoples, as well as criticisms of European colonialism, slavery, and cultural domination.
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