Revisiting the gold foil letter that established trade links between Thanjavur and Denmark

The Hindu

14-05-2025

When someone utters East India Company, you might quickly assume it to be British, but here's a story of two unlikely heroes — one from Thanjavur in South India and the other from Denmark, a medieval European kingdom. They were separated by vast oceans, but with a bit of fate, their lives intertwined 400 years ago in 1616 CE!
The first protagonist Christian IV of Denmark was exploring ways to boost his kingdom's economy. Other European powers such as the Portuguese, Dutch and British had a thriving sea trade with India and Sri Lanka, particularly for black pepper. Wanting a share of this market, he established the Danish East India Company. Citizens and nobles invested, and five huge ships were outfitted for a voyage in search of great wealth to Sri Lanka, where the Danes hoped to establish a trading post, based on a promised treaty with a Sri Lankan king.
The second protagonist was Raghunatha Nayak, who was ruling Thanjavur. His reign was marked by architectural achievements and careful political strategy. Wary of the increasing dominance of the Portuguese, who were trading heavily from Nagapattinam, and seeking to boost his kingdom's economy while limiting Portuguese control, he looked out for other trade partners.
Now, who would string together the stories of the protagonists, who are on two ends of the world? Enter Captain Roland Crappé, the
trade director of the newly-formed Danish East India Company. He was aboard the first Danish ship, the Øresund, and was ahead of the other four ships, after a gruelling 18-month sea journey, circumventing Africa. But, in the waters between India and Sri Lanka, Crappé captured a few Portuguese vessels, prompting a violent retaliation. The Portuguese navy wrecked the Øresund, and hung most of its crew. Captain Crappé, along with 12 survivors, escaped thanks to a local fisherman. And, landed in Thanjavur, where Crappé ended up meeting Raghunatha Nayak.
The King saw a unique opportunity — why not allow the Danes to trade with his kingdom too? He not only agreed to Crappé's request for possible trade, he also formally granted the Danes permission to build a fort and establish a trading post in a port called Tharangambadi (later renamed Tranquebar by the Danes), near Thanjavur. As a diplomatic gesture, Raghunatha Nayak wrote a letter in ancient Tamil script on gold foil addressed to King Christian IV, inviting him to conduct trade in the port of Tharangambadi, and sent it along with gifts.
Meanwhile, the other four Danish ships, led by Commander Ove Giedde, stayed on course and reached Sri Lanka. But, the Portuguese had already signed an exclusive trade agreement with the King. The crushed Danes also get to hear about the fate of the Øresund. Their massive investment and the long journey seem to be for nothing. But, a message from Captain Crappé cheer them up. 'The Tanjore King has agreed to trade with us. Make your way here soon.' Commander Giedde immediately travelled to Thanjavur.
Soon, construction of a fortress named Dansborg began, and fortification walls were built around Tranquebar. From this base, the Danes exchanged goods across the world, engaged in trade and lived for over 200 years, until the trading post was sold to the British in 1845 CE.
This relationship also left a legacy of historical sites and treasured artefacts, out of which the golden foil and the treaty are still preserved like the royal treasure it is in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark.
Historian R. Nagaswamy was the first to read and interpret the contents of the letter, though it is unclear if he got hold of the gold foil, or if he received an estampage or pictures of the foil for his study.
And so, I travelled to Denmark for one reason — to see this artefact in person. After months, the approval came. Landing on a chilly autumn morning, I quickly reached the grand-looking Royal Library (Det Kongelige Bibliotek).
In the quiet research reading room, a big box had been set aside for me. Inside it lay the legendary artefact I had long dreamed of having a peek at — the Thanjavur Gold foil letter, preserved carefully by the archival experts of Denmark. I got to touch a piece of global history, written in Thanjavur and still shimmering in Denmark.
The delicate foil bore intricate Tamil letters of a bygone era. It measured 40 cm in length and 2.5 cm in width.
The content in Tamil read: 'Raudra varusham chithirai naal 20 Raghunatha nayakkar Dhinamark raasavinavargal vaasal kaariyappaerkku…' The letter starts with the Hindu calendar date which corresponds to April 16, 1620, in the Gregorian calendar. It was amusing to see how some words were 'Tamilised' — Dhinamark for Denmark and Ulandheesu for Holland. There was a 'Roolangkalappai Karppithaar' too — Captain Roland Crappé.
Just like any Tamil inscription from the past, there were no word-spacing or punctuation marks, not even a period at the end of a sentence.
The letter goes on to say that the people of Denmark were permitted to settle down and conduct trade in Tharangambadi.
'We, the Royal Highness Srimad Raghunatha Nayak, send this message to the ambassador of the King of Denmark, on the 22nd day of Chithirai in the year Raudri. We are prospering here. Kindly despatch the news about Your Highness' prosperity. We are pleased to learn the news of that place brought to us by Captain Roeland Crappe and the Holland General. Since we have agreed that we should not draw a distinction between Your Highness and ours and have agreed to live as one, we have honoured the Holland General and Captain Roeland Crappe with palanquins and permitted the subjects of that country to come and settle here. We order the creation of a port named Tarangampadi here…'
Raghunatha Nayak concludes by listing out the generous royal gifts for the Danish King — two silk pithambarams, a tuppatti (shawl), two pachavadams, and a variety of intricately crafted swords and Kataari daggers. The whereabouts of these artefacts are unknown.
There was another captivating sight. On the right side of the foil, surrounded by Tamil script, stood a signature — in Telugu. The signature of Raghunatha Nayak! Etched in gold, a royal hand's seal on a serendipitous international alliance centuries ago.
The writer is an AI professional and a history and heritage enthusiast.