Sadras Dutch Fort — Attraction in Tamil Nadu

In recent times, Sadras has found mention due to its proximity to the atomic power plant (Madras Atomic Power Station) and the atomic research centre (Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research - IGCAR) both located at nearby Kalpakkam. The village of Sadras is sandwiched between the power plant and its township. There are two bridges connecting Kalpakkam and Sadras.The fortress was raided by the British in 1818 and came under the control of the British East India Company. It is now maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India in efforts to contain further dilapidation of this great monument. From 2003 major restoration of the damaged fort was carried out leading to may archeological findings.The first battle between British East India Company and the Dutch started here as Battle of Sadras. The fort includes a cemetery with many beautifully decorated graves that date to between 1620 and 1769.it is situated at sadras near police station.a wounderful place to be visited.An inscription found in Sadras dated to 1359 mention this place as Rajanarayanan Pattinam after a Sambuvaraya chieftain. There is a temple to Vishnu here, and because of it later the city was known as Sadiravasagan Pattinam. This later changed into Sadurangapattinam, shortly known as Sadirai. Later the Dutch called it Sadras.Remains of this Dutch fort ,earlier known as Sadras fort ( Sathurangapattinam in Tamil ) is about 4 kms from East cost road towards the beach . Those who are interested in visiting historical places , this is a good place for a short visit . Maintained by Archaeological survey of India , one can find ruins of an ancient fort destroyed by wars and nature .Storage rooms built by dutch and cemeteries are still intact. While travelling from chennai towards pondichery via mamallapuram take left turn from Vengambakkam junction on ECR to reach Sadras fort ( about 4.5 km) . After visiting sadras fort Journey can be continued by re entering East coast Road through Pudupakkam junction . No bathroom facilities or food facilities available close to the area . There are few shops in Pudupakkam and inside Kalpakkam township and a petrol filing station is also available inside the township.Best time to visit ill be during onset of rainy season .The best time to visit the fort is when the sun is peeping from behind the monsoon clouds hanging low over the Bay. In that surreal light, the green grass that fills up its vast innards is more vivid, and an unusual radiance graces its ageing walls.

Enter through the gates, surmounted by a bell tower and guarded by cannon, and simply follow the lone goat that seems to know its way around. Inside the vast open space, a mud pathway divides the fort into two. On the right, accessed through a small archway, lies a well-kept cemetery. The beautifully-carved tombstones, dating from 1620 to 1769, are replete with the names of Dutch sailors, skulls and crossbones, ships with billowing sails and man-of-war. A five-foot-high table-like double tombstone head bears names from the same family. Beyond it lies a warren of tunnels, some still being repaired by the ASI. To the left of the gateway, is a lone tree bending low over a well with a grate. Further ahead are mounting blocks — most likely for the elephants — spacious and clean granaries with well-laid-out pipelines that indicate an advanced drainage system, and dining and dancing halls that are on the long road to some sort of...

A northerner they could only fathom knew not a bit of their history and a Sikh at that arguing with them that he wants to go to Sadras while being already in Madras ( Chennai’s old Nearly 250 years ago the French and the British fought a Battle here in 1782 for the control of this strategic port by both the British Fleet and the French Fleet off the east coast of India during the Anglo-French War .

Modern Sadras was established as part of Dutch Coromandel in the seventeenth century, which was even before centre for weaving superfine muslin cloth for export besides Pearl and edible oil. The magnificent Sadras Fort, built for commercial purposes by the Dutch, is a vast compound enclosing a huge granary, stable and structures used to mount elephants; unfortunately only one of these structures survives.

However by 1612, they had laid the foundations for a fort in Sadras to its South, then a well-known centre for muslin weaving and brick making. The Dutch fortified its early outposts in Ceylon (Fort Hammenhiel, Jaffna; Kalpitiya Fort) and Batavia (modern-day Jakarta) with bricks made in kilns here and similarities can still be found from the walls of the Dutch Forts of the bricks made in Sadras .

Entering the Fort through a bell-tower that stands to date with two iron rusted canons guarding the entrance .As one enters one sees how well planned the fort was with its own well on left of the entrance with drainage system well laid out .

The fort has inside still huge halls that were used for storage of products before they were shipped by the Dutch by their trading ships in the hundred years or so that they were here before the British took over and the town fell in to obscurity .Some of these halls in their hey days were used for dancing and partying .

The Britishers had captured the fort in 1796 from the Dutch only to loose again the control to the Dutch in 1818 before the Dutch were forever bundled out in 1854 so that the fort remained with the British till 1947 .It is notable that the fortifications of this fort are not warlike but commercial as it was largely a trading port fort .There are still visible the bombed out structures that the British aimed when they conquered the place .

Inside the attendant couple took me to see the underground tunnel that they said the Dutch had built to take them underground to the port of Sadras .He also showed me elephant mounts for riding elephants that the Dutch had used during the time in the fort .

Most striking is the well kept cemetery laid inside a walled enclosure on the right side when one enters the fort .There are several carved stones inscribed with in Dutch language with those who lived and died here being buried within the ramparts of the fort .In all about 19...

Not an active tourist spot now as it is not maintained properly..... However the same is having historical background.

The village of Sadras is sandwiched between the power plant and its township. There are two bridges connecting Kalpakkam and Sadras.

An inscription found in Sadras dated to 1359 mention this place as Rajanarayanan Pattinam after a Sambuvaraya chieftain. There is a temple to Vishnu here, and because of it later the city was known as Sadiravasagan Pattinam. This later changed into Sadurangapattinam, shortly known as Sadirai. Later the Dutch called it Sadras.

Modern Sadras was established as part of Dutch Coromandel in the seventeenth century, which was even before center for weaving superfine muslin cloth for export besides Pearl and edible oil. The magnificent Sadras Fort, built for commercial purposes by the Dutch, is a vast compound enclosing a huge granary, stable and structures used to mount elephants; unfortunately only one of these...