Pulicat
The VOC got its trading settlement in Pulicat (Paliacatta) in 1610 through a contract with the king of Karnataka. There they build fort Gelria in the battle with the Portuguese. There is nothing left of the fort.
The white tombs of the Dutch cemetery are visible from the water.
Behind the market street the white Dutch tombs shine bright in the India dust. Just before I arrived in 1989 walls and tombs had been whitewashed!
The white tombs hurt the eye in the bright Indian sun.
There is a double gate at the Dutch cemetery in Pulicat (Tamil Nadu).
Parts of the stone Death figure have gone. That is why the Archeological Survey of India has put up the double fence. Maintaining this site is part of the governmemts effort to bring tourists to this poor coastal area.
© Dick de Jong, 2002
Dick. de Jong,
Uithoornstraat 33
1078 ST Amsterdam