DUTCH COLONIAL INDIA

1605 -1825
Colonies of Dutch land ( Holland / Netherlands )

The Dutch entered India with the only interests of

Trade in the early 17th Century.

 During their 220 years in India, they colonized Surat,

southern part of Gujrat peninsula, Ahmedabad,
Malabar Coast, Kochi and Sadras.

 Their fortifications consisted of rampart walls

encircling the settlements, which were divided into two
areas, one for Europeans and other for the natives.

 The towns were planned with streets, drainage

systems and trees.
The bastions of fortified towns were named after Dutch
cities; in contrast to the Portuguese, each town had a
simple church, sometimes few local motifs applied to
their facades, but usually devoid of ornamentation.

Brick vaulting was the most characteristic method of

construction and was also used for churches.

The Dutch placed their warehouses for export goods

in prominent positions adjacent to a harbors.

The Danish influence is evident in Nagapatnam, which

was laid out in squares and canals and also in
Tranquebar and Serampore.
 DUTCH-ESTABLISHMENTS
 Malabar Coast Kochi:
 The Dutch Palace (Mattancherry Palace) – The palace was
originally built by the Portuguese, it fell into the hands of
the Dutch when the Portuguese lost control of Kochi.

 Dutch cemetery – The cemetery runs parallel to the

beach and is the oldest European cemetery in India. It
holds 104 tombs that visually narrate the Dutch
influence in Architecture during the era. The cemetery is
guarded by heavy walls and the entrance pillar still
carries the original calligraphic inscription “1724”.
•Bastion bungalow – This Dutch styled building near the
Fort Kochi beach was built to protect the harbor.

• Thakur House: on Dutch Cemetery Road, is another

building that reflects the glory of a bygone era.

•David Hall – which was the residence of the famous

Dutch Commander and Governor of Kochi, was built in
1695. The hall has been restored as a cultural centre and
art café for young, visual and performing artists.
Chennai

Sadras – 17 km from the rock cut temples of

Mamallapuram is another Dutch settlement.

Pullicat – Pullicat lake 55 km north of chennai is a

million years old and the second largest lagoon in India.
It was the most important trading post of the Dutch.
They built two cemeteries.
One was ruined due to negligence and at the entrance
is flanked by stone pillars, having 76 tombs. Images of
skeletons are carved onto the gravestones, symbolizing
life and death.

 Ahmedabad: The Dutch cemetery lies on the bank of

Kankaria lake. It holds a mix of Indian and European
styled graves, with domed tombs, pyramids, walled and
plain grave stones.
DUTCH PALACE (Mattancherry palace)
DUTCH PALACE (Mattancherry palace)

 This palace was built by the Portuguese in 1555

A.D. and was then given as a present to the
Maharaja of Kochi, Veera Kerala Varma.
 The Dutch carried out some extensions and
renovations in the palace in 1663, and thereafter
it was popularly called Dutch Palace.
 This palace of Kerala has now been converted
into an art gallery showcasing some of the
best paintings and murals of Hindu
mythology.
 Two arches built in Portuguese style form
the entrance of the palace compound.
DUTCH PALACE
 The palace is a two-storied structure, built in traditional
Kerala naalukettu (quadrangular) model

 The palace has the architectural style of the Portuguese though

it follows the design pattern of Kerala temple architecture.
 This is indicated in features like sloping tiled roof and
wooden balconies

 Outside, the palace looks simple, but elegant with the

white walls on the front and the sloping roof.

 The rooms on the upper level of the palace can be reached

through a flight of stairs located on the south of the entrance.
 In the courtyard there stands a small temple dedicated to
'Pazhayannur Bhagavati', the protective goddess of
the Kochi royal family.

 There are two more temples on either side of the Palace,

one dedicated to Lord Krishna and the other to Lord
Siva.

 Certain elements of architecture, as for example the

nature of its arches and the proportion of its
chambers are indicative of European influence in
basic Nālukettu style.
 The Dining Hall has carved wooden ornate ceiling decorated with a series of brass cups.

 The palace also contains rare examples of traditional Kerala flooring, which looks like
polished black marble but is actually a mixture of burned coconut shells, charcoal, lime,
plant juices and egg whites.

 The royal bedchamber known as "Palliyara" is located at the left of the entrance. It is famous
for its low wooden ceiling and the walls that are covered with some 48 paintings depicting
the Ramayana.

 These paintings date back to the 16th century and are preserved with much care till date.
 The ground floor harbours the ladies room with a
staircase to the kanithalam room.
 The square shaped Coronation hall, royal bed
chamber, dining hall, assembly hall and the staircase
room are situated on the upstairs.
 The ceilings of various halls are decorated with wood
carved floral designs including the design of an
inverted lotus.
BUNGALOWS
 Thakur House – the Dutch built this bungalow overlooking the
sea as a club.

 It was earlier known as Kunal or Hill Bungalow.

 The House, on cliff facing the sea, has been an important landmark of

Fort Kochi for centuries. 

 The Thakur House, which reflects the opulent lifestyle of the colonial
era, has lovely lawns and is cooled by breeze from the sea below.

Thakur House
Thakur House
 Made in the 1700s, the monument of Dutch
architecture, has characteristic spacious rooms,
wooden floors and bay windows.
 It is a two-storied building, and the perfect
symmetry of both floors is astonishing.
 The original building consisted of several halls
and verandahs; however, alterations were made to
the original structure by its various occupants.
 
 Glass lamps hang from the roof beam and crystal and earthen
pottery adorn the shelves and tables – all providing a colonial
grandeur to the building.

 Several paintings decorate the walls of the rooms.

 It is believed that the house has several tunnels leading to far-off

places in Fort Kochi such as the St. Francis Church and Bishop’s
House.
 The Dutch built the Thakur House as a club and
community centre for the Dutch East India Company.

 During the last decades of the 19th century, the

bungalow was occupied by a prominent spice trading
family of Mattancherry.

 In the early 1900s, it was used as lodging for the

managers of the National Bank of India.

 The ownership of the bungalow again changed hands

and went to a well-known tea-trading firm.
Bastion bungalow

 The Bungalow was established in the year 1667

 This bungalow is an example of Indo-European
style architecture mainly following the Dutch style
 The structure of the Bastion Bungalow is spherical in
type and has tiled roof.
 The first floor verandah gives a unique view with a
wooden portion in the front.
 The Bastion Bungalow of the fort Kochi was the camp
office and residence of RDO. 
 At present the Bastion Bungalow serves as the
official seat of the Sub-Collector. 
 Now the monument falls under the protected site as
declared by the State Archeological Department
years back. 
 The Bastion Bungalow is believed to have secret
tunnels underneath but they are yet to be discovered
 David hall
 David Hall, reminiscent of the Dutch glory of yesteryears,
is situated on one side of the Parade Ground in Fort Kochi

 David Hall was built around 1695 by the Dutch East India
Company. It was the residence of the renowned Dutch
governor, Hendrick Adrian Van Rheede tot Drakestein.
However, the building gets its name from a later
occupant, a Jewish businessman called David Koder.
 The characteristic features of this Dutch building have not
been altered drastically either by Time or by its various
occupants
 The recent alterations made in the David Hall are in
adherence with the Dutch typology.
 The typical Dutch architecture is visible on all elements
including the wooden roof which is made of flat face rafters
 A droop in the wood is seen as a result of these horizontal
beams and so the wood is supported by trusses across them
 As a whole, the roof gives a look of an upturned hill and this
`architectural wonder is highlighted with the modern
lighting in the Hall.
 The three-foot wide walls and the four-column windows are
the other characteristics of the building and they add to its
elegance.
 A well-manicured garden and the old trees in the courtyard
too help the David Hall retain its grace intact.
COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE IN INDIA
DANES/ DANISH COLONIAL

(1620-1869)
DANES/DANISH INDIA 
 Danish India is a term for the former colonies of Denmark-
Norway ( Denmark- after 1814) in India.
 Denmark-Norway held colonial possessions in India for more than 200
years, including the town of Tharangambadi, Serampore , and
the Nicobar Islands, currently part of India's union territory of
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
 The Danish presence in India was of little significance to the major
European powers as they presented neither a military nor a
mercantile threat.
 One of the characteristics that sets Tranquebar apart from the
neighbouring towns and villages is the Danish colonial
architecture
 The town is perceived as unique because of this architectural
setting which is an outcome of a synthesis between Danish
and local Tamil vernacular.
 DANISH COLONIAL TOWNS IN INDIA

 TRANQUEBAR

Nagapattinam ,Tamil Nadu.

 SERAMPORE
West Bengal
 TRANQUEBAR
A DANISH COLONIAL TOWN IN INDIA
 TRANQUEBAR
 The Danish colony Tranquebar (Tharangambadi)
was established in 1620 on the southern Coromandel
Coast in India as headquarter for the Danish
expansion in Asia, parallel to and following the
examples of especially the Dutch and English
merchants.
 During the following 225 years, the Danes built up a
colonial town whose special lay-out and historical
buildings are still found in Tranquebar today.
 Tranquebar is considered as the best example of
preserved colonial architecture from Denmark with The
fort, Zion Church, Tranquebar Gate as well as
bungalows along Kongensgade (King street )and
Queen Street.
HISTORY
 This town was a part of Chola (10th to 13th century),
Pandya (14th century) kingdoms. In 15th century, under the
rule of the Thanjavur king, Raghunatha Nayak, Tranquebar
had been an active international trading port attracting Muslim
traders, German Theologians and Moravian entrepreneurs.
 Thanjavur’s King Ragunatha Nayaka leased out
Tharangambadi to the Danes following a trade pact.
 At the time of the arrival of the Danes, Tarangambadi had
already seen an influx of foreigners. Arab and later Portuguese
traders had plied the coasts and in 1620 when the Danish
East India Company was established with the construction of
the Dansborg Fort, trade languages on the coast were Tamil,
Portuguese, Arabic and Malay.
 By 1777, the Danes took complete control of Tranquebar.
Tranquebar was taken by the British in 1801, but restored to
the Danes in 1814, and finally purchased by the British, along
with the other Danish settlements in India, in 1845.
 The original trading post, Tranquebar, occupied only a
small area (approximately 30 hectares).
 It was from here, the Danish East India Company
traded in spices, silks and other textiles until
1845, when it transferred the place to the British.

 Tranquebar sank into obscurity for the next 150 years, a

forgotten little ex-colonial outpost, overrun with
vegetation, full of crumbling structures.

 The DANSBORG fort was used as a Public Works

Department Travellers Bungalow for government
servants and colonials till 1977.
 Then it was declared as a protected monument by the
Department of Archaeology, Government of Tamil Nadu.
 A DANISH COLONIAL TOWN IN INDIA- Tranquebar
 Originally known as
Tharangambadi — the place of
the singing waves — Tranquebar
owes its name and identity to the
Danes, who made it one of their
major trading posts in the early
17th century.

  Tranquebar is distinguished by
its Danish past. Its relics include
a gateway sporting the Danish  Gateway -The entry to this
Royal Seal, a fort that’s town is marked by an
Scandinavian in appearance impressive 200 year old
gateway built in Danish
rather than Dravidian, a string of
architectural style and has the
imposing colonial bungalows and Danish Royal Insignia on it.
two early 18th-Century churches.
The Land Gate (Landporten) with wooden doors was the way leading to Kings Street
was constructed during 1792 AD. King's Street is the main street in this small
settlement.
 The gateway sports the Danish Royal seal
and leads us through a row of colonial
bungalows and ancient churches.
 The streets still sport their old names –
King’s Street, Queen’s Street ,
Admiral’s Street and the Goldsmith’s
street .Street grid -straight streets,
brought perpendicular to each other Goldsmith’s street restored
by INTACH.
 Kongensgade (King Street) leading from
The city gate down to the coast and Fort
Dansborg. Lots of colonial buildings along
this street.
 Houses comprise of architecture that
includes thick stucco walls,
massive pillars supporting
classical pediments, verandahs on
second storeys, carriage porches
etc. are some of the ways you can
identify the Dutch influence on the
architecture. King Street
DANSBORG FORT
 Dansborg Fort
 The Dansborg Fort
Dansborg (stone house)
was built in 1620. by the
Danish admiral Ove
Gjedde who headed the
expedition on behalf of
the Danish East India
Company to establish
trade links with India  Today it houses a
 It was the museum containing items
administrative and from the Danish era of
military centre of the Tranquebar
Danish East Indies.
 Most parts of the fort have been reconstructed several
times.
 The rampart wall is a fairly large four sided structure, with
bastions at each cardinal point.
 A single storied building was constructed along three inner
sides of the rampart, with barracks, warehouse, kitchen
and jail.
 The rooms on the southern side remain in good condition,
but the rooms on the western and northern sides have
been substantially damaged.
 On the eastern side of the fort, there was a two storied
building facing the sea. It was the main building of the
fort.
 The sea on the eastern and western side protected the
fort. The fort was surrounded by a moat, access to the fort
being over a drawbridge. The moat has completely
disappeared.
 The construction of Fort Dansborg, an example of
Scandinavian military architecture
 The fort is now used as a museum where the major
artifacts of the fort and the Danish empire are
displayed.
 The fort was renovated twice in modern times, once by
Tranquebar Association with the help of the Danish
royal family and the State Archaeology Department in
2001 and secondly by a project named Destination
Development of Tranquebar by the Department of
Tourism of the Government of Tamil Nadu in 2011.
 The fort is one of the prominent tourist destinations in
the region.
The plan for Fort Dansborg 
Outer length of the building (towards the sea) is about 60
m. Outer width of the building (towards the drill ground)
is about 45m. 
 A,A1 & B The
Outer width of the building is about 11 m.
original governors
residence (until
1784). These
rooms are being
restored.
 A1The kitchen in
the governors
residence with
the open fire
place and the
 D & D1The original rectory . (D is now thefunnel.
entrance to the
museum and D1 is store room)  C-The church

 room,director.
E & E1The original residence to a commercial now the(E is
now office to the museum and E1 is storemuseum.
room).
 The fort is in North-South
orientation with doors at the
East for Entrance and a
veranda on the West.
 The central portion of the fort
had four camel hump
shaped domes on the roof
with tie rods functioning as
stays.
 The entire load of the domes
was transferred on to a
central pillar in the hall.

 Tie-rods have been used, as brick pinning alone would

not serve the purpose since the domes are rectangular in
shape and of very large size.
 The northern and southern portions had barrel vaulted
roofs
 THE NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH, Tranquebar.

  A Church for the local

people, The New
Jerusalem Church,
-constructed by
Bartholomaeus
Ziegenbalg,and
inaugurated in 1716
 church that was specially
built for Christian converts
 also houses tombs that
date back to the 18th
century in its cemetery.
 Adding beauty to the
town, this church is on
King's street and one of
 ZION'S CHURCH- King Street.
  Consecrated in 1701, it is the
oldest protestant Church in
India. mainly for the use of
Europeans.
 Prominent with its combination
of colonial and Indian
architectural features, its
construction together with the
fortification of the town marked
the moving out and spreading
of the Danish population into
the surrounding settlement.
 The structure went through
many reconstructions before it
reached its present form.
DANISH GOVERNOR BUNGALOW
 DANISH GOVERNOR BUNGALOW

 The grand three-winged

house was built as the
private home of an affluent
British merchant in the 1773
in the British colonial
Palladian style with a flat roof
and a front colonnade.
 Parallel to traditional Tamil
architecture, the house was
furnished with a large inner
courtyard.  Inner courtyard of governor’s banglow
 From the courtyard there  This building got its name as
was direct access to the
it was used as residence of
garden laid out in the
Danish Governor in 1784.
baroque French style.
 When taken over by the Danish  The house functioned as
state, the façade of the house the private home of the
was refurbished with a large, shifting governors and
central veranda and a double their families and as the
front colonnade as directed by
place of official meetings,
Governor Peter Anker, making
gatherings and receptions
the Governor’s residence the
grandest and most spectacular of foreign delegations.
house in town. With banquets, dances,
 On the large compound east of and get-togethers
the garden were warehouses, regularly held in the
stables, a shed for vehicles house, the Governor’s
and palanquins, a kitchen, and residence was an
rooms for domestic servants and important venue for social
stable hands. life in the European
community in Tranquebar.
THE- BANGLOW ON THE BEACH
THE- BANGLOW ON THE BEACH
 19th-Century Collector's Residence in picturesque
has recently been transformed from a ruin to a
heritage hotel by the Neemrana Group.
 The restored Bungalow stands as a reminder of a
Danish Admiral, Ove Gjedde, sent by the king of
Denmark with two ships. 
 It is a grand colonial mansion with traditional Tamil
architecture.
SERAMPORE (FREDERIKSNAGORE)–
WEST BENGAL

 SERAMPORE is a city and

a municipality in Hooghly
district in the Indian state of
West Bengal.
 It is a pre-colonial town (city) on the west bank of the Hooghly
River.
 It was part of Danish India under the name Frederiksnagore from
1755 to 1845
 While Tranquebar in South India in recent years has attracted a
growing attention, Serampore has long been a forgotten Danish
colony in India.
 Serampore tells an important part of the history about Denmark’s
connections with the wider world.
 During the eighteenth century, Indian commodities such as cotton
and spices were valuable in Europe and the dreams of profit
attracted also Danish traders.
 Serampore was thus founded in 1755 with the purpose of trading
 The urbanization phase of Serampore began with the acquisition of
land in the area by the Danes as part of the Danish colonial empire.
 With the establishment in 1818 of Serampore College, which
became the third university of Denmark, the town developed
into an Asiatic centre for education, linguistics and publishing.
 Industry in Serampore had been developed during the
Danish period, including with the introduction of the first
private steam-powered machine in India.
 Ole Bie  was supreme chief of the Danish colony
of Serampore  for 30 years. 
 After the British takeover in 1845, the industrialization in
earnest with the establishment of rail and jute fabrikker
  Serampore is now a bustling industrial and commercial
center with approximately 2,00,000 inhabitants. 
 Serampore’s location along the river Hooghly, only an
hour transport from Kolkata, has also made ​the place
attractive to the rapidly growing middle class, who move
into high new building overlooking the water. 
 Despite the tight, modern buildings , street network and
urban fabric in the center is largely preserved as when
the town was built by the Danes in the second half of the
1700s. 
  Although the city is characterized by new construction,
there are still numerous private buildings from the 17 and
1800s. 
 Traders from the nearby cities of Calcutta (British) and
Chandernagore (French) staged many large villas and while
some are still inhabited, are others like ruins.
  More rich Indian families also made ​their mark on the city
during the Danish period by building large palaces, temples
and villas. Today owned these either of funds or of the
families and contribute to the city's historic atmosphere.
 National Museum of Denmark has formulated an
ambitious plan in collaboration with the West Bengal
Heritage Commission (WBHC) for the revival of the lost
glory of these buildings.
 The state tourism department has formulated grand
plans to promote heritage tourism in the area and link it
with other former European colonies along the Hooghly. 
LAYOUT
Within the town, the layout and the historical development give reason
to single out three distinct heritage zones, representing the original
organisation of the early settlement in the 18th and 19th century
 When the Danish East Asiatic Company acquired land in
Serampore,it was largely a rural area dotted with ponds and
gardens, scattered houses and small villages. The development
of the town can be followed in some detail from three historic
maps originating from 1827, 1841 and 1860 respectively.

 topographical map by
Charles Joseph
(1841),shows three
distinct built up areas
along the river front
and a more open green
settlement further
• away
To The from the- river
East as
Serampore College and the related
follows
activities,representing the academic and religious
segment of the township with the buildings situated within
a green open environment. Later the eastern area in
addition developed into the industrial centre with the
establishment of the jute and cotton mills
 In the center - the Danish administrative and commercial
area with the Danish compound as the seat of the Government
and St. Olav Church as the most significant landmark.
 To the west – the Danish canal area where the indian
landlords
were residing.
 Obviously the settlement pattern was oriented towards the
river as the main line of seawards communication, but also in
appreciation of the aesthetic and recreational qualities of the
open vistas to the river and beyond
 and the architecture is strongly influenced by the development
in British Calcutta mainly neo –classical architectural style.
 The buildings were in white, with expensive porticoes to
the south and the widows closed by venetian blinds
painted green. The view towards the sea was maintained for
a long time.
 The appearance of elegant marble villas; and the huge college,
with its superb columns, confers dignity on the whole scene
The Danish Government compound
 The Danish Government compound dates back to 1755 when the Asiatic
Company established their trading post in Serampore.
 Due to the political unrest in the area at the time, the Company felt it
necessary to surround the small estate by a protective wall.
 Within this wall, the government house was erected together with a
powder magazine, a guardroom, a jail, a kitchen, a henhouse, a godown and
quarters for the staff and officers.
 The compound and all the related structures were laid out according to a
northsouth axis leading from the Nishan Ghat with the flag staff at the
river bank onwards through the northern main gate to the government
house and to the southern gateway building.
 Today many of the architectural features are still preserved and the
compound has maintained the former importance as theadministrative
centre of Serampore due to the continued use byHooghly District Sub
Division, the police and law courts. The continuedmportance and prestige of
the site is further testified by the construction of a new court building
completed in 2009.
The main gate

 A brick-built gate on
the northern side of
the compound is
first mentioned in
the records in 1772

 Shortly after the British occupation of Serampore 1808-15

the gate was rebuilt with paired pilasters headed by Ionic
capitals and a triangular pediment .
 A drawing from 1827 shows this impressive and richly
ornamented gate with a monogram of the Danish King
Frederik VI from1808 to1838.
South gate
 The South Gate dates from around 1800 and has been utilised as a guard house
and detention. Danish sources refer to it as the “back gate”, and in the British
period it was known by the Indian word “tannah”, meaning a guard house.
 When the railway was constructed in Serampore in 1854, the trade route
moved from the river to the land, probably resulting in the “back gate”
changing its function to the main gate for the British.
 The gate building is symmetrical and consists of two rooms with a passage in
between, connecting the compound with the street. Furthermore, traces are
found of several smaller additions. They are, however, in complete ruin. Despite
the state of the building, a number of fine details can still be appreciated, and
the north side displays paired Ionic pilasters and classical triangular pediments
above the windows.
 The Danish Government house

1830. 1934
 The Danish government house was from the establishment
in 1755 the centre of the Danish administration, as well as the
private residence of the Head of Serampore.
 Initially the government house was a simple mud and wattle
construction with a thatched roof consisting of a hall, four
large rooms, two small rooms, two verandas and one
godown.
 The major part of this building collapsed during a dinner party
on 2nd December 1770
 The Danish Head of Serampore, Johan Leonard Fix (1770-
1773) began the construction of a new brick-built government
house consisting of a hall, two rooms and a veranda. The
successor of J. L. Fix, Andreas Hiernøe, added two rooms
with verandas in 1773.
 This house was taken over by Ole Bie, the new Head of
Serampore, in 1776 and added new veranda, built as a
monumental front portico in the Ionic order, and two
rooms at each side of the building, extending the whole
length ofthe façade.
 In 1832 the Government House was reported to contain
4 large rooms in the centre, 5 smaller rooms with
open verandas to each side, as well as a large
veranda to the south with a terrace above
 The same year two additional rooms have been fitted up
at each end of the southern veranda, most likely by
adding two new partition walls inside the veranda.
 In 1842 and 1843 an upper story was added with a roof
pavilion rising above the facade below, thereby creating
the proportions of an Italian palace
 The two airy rooms on 1st floor were originally built for
sleeping apartments.
 When the building was transferred to the British in 1845
it thus consisted of three large rooms and eight side
rooms on the ground floor and two rooms on the upper
story
St Olav’s church
 The construction of St Olav’s
church was initiated in 1800
by the Danish Governor Ole
Bie.
 The nave was completed in
1806, and in 1819 a wall
enclosing the church was
erected together with two
small guard houses, one of
which is still preserved.
 the portico and the bell
tower were completed in
1821  
 The church became a major
landmark of Serampore,
appearing at all the early
depictions of the town.
 The architecture of the church is
not characteristically Danish but
reflects the close connections
Serampore had with the British in
Calcutta – home to the similar
churches of St. John’s and St.
Andrew’s. The inspiration for this
type of church stems from St.
Martin- in London, which for
many years was the standard
reference for British church
buildings.
 The roof of the church is flat and
the front is characterized by an
open portico with double
columns.
 The broken cornice on the front is
decorated with the royal monogram
of Christian VII, who was King of
Denmark when the church was
consecrated. Above the portico is a
square bell tower, which also holds
a town clock. 
 Serampore College
 Serampore College is the
oldest university in India
to be in continuous
operation. It was founded
in 1818 by
the English missionaries
known as the Serampore
Trio -William Carey,
Joshua Marshman,William
Ward
 Incorporated by Danish
Royal Charter 1827
 By Royal Charter issued on 23rd February 1827, the
College was officially recognized and offered similar
rights of conferring degrees in all subjects as enjoyed by
the Danish universities in Copenhagen and Kiel.
 The main building Situated within a pleasant and well
kept green area, the main buildingof Serampore College
and the former residence of WilliamCarey as well as the
ancillary buildings are major landmarks of Serampore
today
 The college consists of two entities: The theological
faculty and a separate college with faculties of arts,
science, commerce
 aim was to give an education in arts and sciences to
students of every "caste, colour or country" and to train
people for ministry in the growing church in India
 From its beginning the college has been ecumenical but
this means that it has no automatic basis of support
from any one branch of the Christian church.
 Built to a square plan in two
stories, the main façade towards
the river is dominated by a giant
portico
 in the Ionic Order with a perfect
symmetry around a middle axis.
The rear side was originally
finished by a semi circular apse
which was later destroyed in an
earthquake
 The spacious double hight
entrance hall is furnished with a
large double staircase executed in
cast iron, just as the main gate of
the compound, which opens
towards the river.
 All these elements were produced
in Birmingham and granted to the
College as a special gift from the
Danish King
 PRIVATE DWELLINGS
Cluster of villas at T.C.Goswami Street

 The T. C. Goswami Street is

stretching eastwards from
the triangular square in front
of
 St Olav Church and
continues in the William
Carey Road along the
riverside.
 Known as High Street during
the Danish period it was the
most prominent street of
Serampore lined by the rich
brick-built European villas.
 The neo-classical architecture was characterized by the
plastered and whitewashed facades giving a stately appearance
of the villas situated within large gardens and surrounded by
protective walls marked by decorated pillars at the gateway.
 T.C. Goswami St. No. 31
first house - The plot is rectangular and facing on to the river.
The house has a colonnaded veranda at the front facing
towards the street.
The front part is used as quarters for the local traffic police
and the remaining part is in ruin while the garden towards
the river and the side wing is used as a cow shed.
On the neighbouring plots immediately to the west is a large,
new apartment block that diminishes the original qualities of
the open garden.
The main structure of the villa probably dates back to the
early 19th century and it is built with the large brick size that
came in regular use in Serampore from about 1800.
FRENCH COLONIAL

(1673-1954)
French colonies in India
  The possessions were
originally acquired by
the French East India
Company  beginning in the
second half of the 17th
century, and
were  incorporated into
the Union of India in 1950 and
1954.
 The French establishments
included 
 Pondichéry, Karikal and Yan
aon  on the Coromandel Coast
 Mahé on the Malabar Coast
 Chandernagor in Bengal.
 In 1674 the French East India Company set up a trading centre
at Pondicherry. This outpost eventually became the chief
French settlement in India.
 The Dutch captured Puducherry in 1693 but returned it to
France by the Treaty of Ryswick in 1699.
 The French acquired Mahe in the 1720s, Yanam in 1731, and
Karaikal in 1738. During the Anglo-French wars (1742–1763),
Puducherry changed hands frequently.
 On January 16, 1761, the British captured Puducherry from
the French, but the Treaty of Paris (1763) at the conclusion of
the Seven Years' War returned it.
 The British took control of the area again in 1793 at the Siege
of Pondicherry amid the Wars of the French Revolution, and
returned to France in 1814.
 When the British gained control of the whole of India in the
late 1850s, they allowed the French to retain their settlements
in the country. 
 Pondicherry, Mahe, Yanam, Karaikal and Chandernagar remaine
d a part of French India until 1954
 PONDICHERY: Franco- Tamil Style

 Pondicherry has an interesting cross-cultural history

and its built form lends a unique identity to the town.
 The old part of Pondicherry is known as the Boulevard
Town since it is bounded by four boulevards (wide roads)
that once constituted the outer limits of the city’s
fortification.
 The Boulevard Town presents two distinct architectural
styles in the Tamil and French quarters, which are
separated by a canal and unified by a rectilinear grid plan.
 In the French Town the buildings are in European style
adapted to a tropical climate, whereas in the Tamil Town
area they are in the local vernacular.
 While maintaining their individual identities, the two styles
have influenced one another, evolving into a synthesis:
Franco-Tamil architecture.
 Pondicherry was designed based on the French grid pattern and
features neat sectors and perpendicular streets. (originally Dutch)
 The entire town is divided into 2 sections, the French Quarter
(Ville Blanche or 'White town') and the Indian quarter (Ville
Noire or 'Black Town').
FRENCH QUARTER- VILLA BLANCHE
 The French quarter has buildings inspired by the European classical
style.
 In French quarter each building with different design – the interior
of the building with its colonade, portico, porch and garden made
with total privacy from the street outside.
 French houses one can say are more “introvert” the massive gate
being the connection between the inside and outside.
 French quarters are situated at the sea facing promenade and can be
identified with their outer walls and distinct architecture.
 The French architecture and designs in India is all about maximizing
open spaces and free ventilation of sea air although the length and
breadth of the buildings.
 In the ville blanche ( white town) are still found an
impressive number of colonial houses, mansion-type
houses with courtyards behind ornate gateways, dating
from the 19th century or from the beginning of the 20th
century, which constitute a tropical adaptation of the
private mansions of the 18th century with large terraces.
 Most of them were built on a rather similar ground plan
with variations in size, orientation and details, i.e. a
symmetrical plan with the principal façade usually
opening on to the garden/court, perpendicular to the
street and the high and solid enclosing wall and the
elaborate gateway forming a clear limit between
domestic and public space.
 Single and double storey French buildings in Pondicherry
have single wooden beam running through the square or
rectangular perimeter of the building. This style of roofing
is called Madras Roofing.
 Palace de Mahe, an example of colonnade, French style
veranda.
 Arched colonnades, doors and windows are French designs
which were combined with Tamil influenced interior designs.
 The other influence of Indian craftsmanship in French style
can be seen in wooden furniture of that era. French
cabinets, and the cabinet chairs are still kept preserved in
museums of Pondicherry and represents the heavy
influence of Tamil style in otherwise European designs.
THE INDIAN QUARTER
(VILLE NOIRE OR 'BLACK TOWN').
 In the Tamil town most of the buildings are of similar vernacular
style and typology with, however, individual variations.
 A significant feature here is that, in spite of the religious differences of
its population (Hindu, Christians, Muslims), the entire settlement
shares a common architectural pattern.
 The present town form is a hybrid of a European concept and the
native building traditions: a synthesis of these two styles, which has
resulted in a town that has a unique Franco-Tamil identity.
 Unlike the colonial house, the Tamil house is very much open to the
street.
 It is built on rubble foundations, with walls of flat bricks and Madras
terrace roofing.
 It is characterized by a street veranda, called talvaram with
Mangalore tiles over wooden posts and a raised platform with wooden
columns and masonry benches for visitors, called tinnai. 
 Then, a corridor leads to the interior or central courtyard, open to the sky,
called mutram, lined up by an inner veranda with country (canal) tiles of
baked earth over wooden columns.
 Beyond, are the more private spaces like sami arai (pooja room), storeroom
or bedroom and kitchen which opens in to a rear courtyard that encloses a
well, toilet and bathroom.
 Thus, the Tamil house, with its series of open semi-covered and covered
spaces, is above all functional, adapted to the environment, conceived in such
a way as to make use of cool and shady space as much as possible.
 Exchange of architectural patterns is evident in the facades of two-storied
buildings where the ground floor is usually of the Tamil type with 
talvaram, tinnai and carved doors, while the first floor features French
influence with arched windows, plaster decoration, luted pilasters, columns
with capitals, architectural motifs such as mouldings of the doors inspired by
French designs, also floral designs such as acantha leaves, leading to a mix of
Tamil and French styles which is the signature mark of Pondicherry heritage.
 Probably it was considered fashionable to use French features in the façades of
the native buildings. However the interior structure has never been influenced by
western decorative motifs and, in many cases, in the street facades, there was
no compromising on the age-old functional elements of talvaram and tinnai.
An inside view of a Franco-Tamil
house in Puducherry
 These French and Indian style houses
are identified and their architecture
preserved from destruction by an
organization named INTACH (Indian
national trust for art and cultural
heritage) .
 The  INTACH Pondicherry has been
at the forefront of multiple
restoration projects and, in some
cases, facade control – where, if a
structure can’t be preserved, owners
are encouraged to rebuild it in the
same style.
 Hotel de l’Orient is one example of
a beautiful restored hotel in the
French quarter.