Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House)

A maritime museum housed in the Van Theylingen House, an 18th-century bungalow that was once the residence of the Danish commander of Tranquebar. Its collection displays remains of an old ship along with boats, models and other maritime artifacts recalling the town's era as a Danish trading colony. It sits within Tranquebar's compact heritage quarter alongside Fort Dansborg, the town gate and the colonial mansions of King Street.

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Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House)
Place
Practical guide

Plan Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House)

Who's going?Tailor Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House) to your trip
Typemuseum
Nearest baseTharangambadi
DistrictMayiladuthurai
Best timeOctober to March is the cooler, drier…
Time neededAbout an hour
Entry₹20
Places to visit8

Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House) is planned from Tharangambadi, one of the travel bases in Mayiladuthurai district. Use Tharangambadi for stays, food and local transport, then plan this place as a focused stop.

What to expect

Highlights

Getting there

How to visit

  • Base yourself in Tharangambadi or nearby in Mayiladuthurai, then confirm the last-mile route locally before travel.
  • If access depends on temple, museum or seasonal rules, check on the day before you go.
Timing

Best time

October to March is the cooler, drier season in the Cauvery delta.

Weather in Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House)Seasonal guide

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Today at Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House)
Sunrise6:00 am
Sunset5:53 pm
Golden hour best light4:53 pm–5:53 pm
Blue hour after sunset5:53 pm–6:18 pm
Sun sets toward compass bearingW · 261°
Moon tonight🌒 Waxing crescent · 24%

Sun and moon are calculated for this location and shown in IST. Photography windows are the hour around sunrise and sunset; the sunset bearing is degrees clockwise from true north. Moon phase is accurate to about half a day.

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Ranked guides

Top experiences around Tharangambadi

7 more places around Tharangambadi. Open a guide to plan the visit and onward journey.

templeAmritaghateswarar-Abirami Temple, Thirukadaiyur

A living Shiva temple associated with Markandeya and milestone-age ceremonies. Confirm the entrance directly because nearby map labels can lead to a different temple.

templeMasilamaninathar Temple, Tharangambadi

600 m · 7 min walk

A shore Shiva temple built in 1306 by the Pandya king Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I, standing by the sea just north of Fort Dansborg.

heritageFort Dansborg, Tharangambadi

710 m · 9 min walk

Danish fort begun in 1620 by admiral Ove Gjedde, the second-largest Danish fort ever built; now an ASI museum displaying Danish colonial and Nayak-era artefacts.

churchNew Jerusalem Church, Tranquebar

380 m · 5 min walk

Consecrated in 1718 by pioneering Danish missionary Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg, one of India's oldest Protestant churches, with Ziegenbalg's grave on site.

churchZion Church, Tharangambadi

530 m · 7 min walk

One of the earliest Danish Protestant churches in India (built 1701), a landmark of the historic Tranquebar Mission.

beachTharangambadi (Tranquebar) Town & Beach

A dispersed living heritage town and coastline with separate monuments and private properties. No single attraction pin represents the whole walk, so directions are withheld.

heritageThe Bungalow on the Beach and Danish Governor's Mansions, Tranquebar

190 m · 2 min walk

A group of restored 18th-century Danish colonial mansions lining King Street inside the walled town of Tranquebar, including Rehling's House and the seafront Bungalow on the Beach, which originally served as the Danish-era courthouse and collector's residence. They showcase a fusion of European and Tamil coastal architecture and are the best-preserved civic remnants of Denmark's Indian outpost. Several are now conserved as heritage hotels, anchoring Tranquebar's rare surviving Danish colonial townscape.

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Before you go

Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House) — at a glance

TimingsTypically 10:00 AM - 5:45 PM; closed on Fridays
Best timeNovember-February
Entry price
Indian adult
₹20

Government monuments, museums and forest reserves in India often charge foreign visitors more. We have not verified whether this site does — ask at the counter.

Fees change without notice. Check the current rate at the counter.

Entry: Nominal entry fee

Getting here

How to reach Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House)

In Tharangambadi (Tranquebar) heritage quarter, about 30 km from Mayiladuthurai; nearest railway Tharangambadi (~2 km) or Mayiladuthurai Jn (~30 km); nearest airport Tiruchirappalli (TRZ) ~150 km

Getting around Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House)

If you need step-free access, contact the site before travelling. Ask about a level entrance, steps along the route, the nearest drop-off point, seating and accessible toilets.

If you need help at Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House)
112All emergencies (police · fire · medical)The single number to call in any emergency (ERSS).

Emergency numbers are verified against official government and state tourism sources. 112 works anywhere in India.

Nearby

What’s near Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House)

heritageThe Bungalow on the Beach and Danish Governor's Mansions, Tranquebar

A group of restored 18th-century Danish colonial mansions lining King Street inside the walled town of Tranquebar, including Rehling's House and the seafront Bungalow on the Beach, which originally served as the Danish-era courthouse and collector's residence. They showcase a fusion of European and Tamil coastal architecture and are the best-preserved civic remnants of Denmark's Indian outpost. Several are now conserved as heritage hotels, anchoring Tranquebar's rare surviving Danish colonial townscape.

190 m · 2 min walk · straight line
churchNew Jerusalem Church, Tranquebar

Consecrated in 1718 by pioneering Danish missionary Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg, one of India's oldest Protestant churches, with Ziegenbalg's grave on site.

380 m · 5 min walk · straight line
churchZion Church, Tharangambadi

One of the earliest Danish Protestant churches in India (built 1701), a landmark of the historic Tranquebar Mission.

530 m · 7 min walk · straight line
templeMasilamaninathar Temple, Tharangambadi

A shore Shiva temple built in 1306 by the Pandya king Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I, standing by the sea just north of Fort Dansborg.

600 m · 7 min walk · straight line
heritageFort Dansborg, Tharangambadi

Danish fort begun in 1620 by admiral Ove Gjedde, the second-largest Danish fort ever built; now an ASI museum displaying Danish colonial and Nayak-era artefacts.

710 m · 9 min walk · straight line
S
Sembiyankandiyur Neolithic Site
Place
heritageSembiyankandiyur Neolithic Site

An archaeological site where in early 2006 a polished Neolithic stone celt engraved with four signs resembling the Indus script was discovered by a local schoolteacher. Epigraphist Iravatham Mahadevan saw it as strong evidence that Neolithic Tamil Nadu and the Indus Valley people may have shared a Dravidian language. Later ASI excavations yielded Megalithic/Iron Age pottery, urns and bowls dated between roughly 300 BCE and 100 CE.

6.1 km · ~15 min by auto · straight line
A
Ananthamangalam Anjaneyar Temple
Place
templeAnanthamangalam Anjaneyar Temple

A Hanuman temple about 5 km from Thirukkadaiyur noted for an unusual idol of Anjaneya depicted with three eyes and ten arms, a rare iconographic form. It draws devotees particularly for special Saturday worship. Its distinctive murti sets it apart among the many Chola-delta shrines and it is listed among the district's places of interest.

6.9 km · ~17 min by auto · straight line
templeNagannathaswamy Temple, Keelaperumpallam

Shiva temple near Poompuhar that is the Ketu shrine of the nine Navagraha temples, drawing pilgrims performing Ketu-dosha remedies.

11.8 km · ~20 min by cab · straight line
beachPoompuhar Beach

The Bay of Bengal beach at Poompuhar, near the mouth of the Kaveri and the site of the ancient Chola port of Kaveripoompattinam.

12.6 km · ~21 min by cab · straight line
heritagePoompuhar (Kaveripoompattinam)

The modern coastal settlement associated with ancient Kaveripoompattinam. Archaeological, museum and shoreline stops are dispersed.

12.8 km · ~21 min by cab · straight line
templePallavaneswarar Temple, Poompuhar

Ancient Shiva temple at Poompuhar associated with the historic Chola port and Sangam-era Kaveripoompattinam; the wider site has also yielded Buddhist vihara remains.

13.2 km · ~22 min by cab · straight line
templeSayavaneswarar Temple, Sayavanam (Tiruchaikadu)

A Chola-period Shiva temple in the coastal village of Tiruchaikadu (Sayavanam) near Kaveripoompattinam. It is the 63rd Devaram Paadal Petra Sthalam and the 9th on the north bank of the Cauvery, glorified in the Thevaram hymns. It belongs to the group of shrines near the Cauvery mouth that includes Thalachangadu, Pallavaneswaram at Poompuhar and Thiruvenkadu.

13.6 km · ~23 min by cab · straight line

All 8 places to visit in Tharangambadi →

On the map

Where Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House) is

Good to know

Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House) — frequently asked

When is the best time to visit Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House)?

October to March is the cooler, drier season in the Cauvery delta.

What are the entry fee and timings at Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House)?

Entry: Nominal entry fee. Timings: Typically 10:00 AM - 5:45 PM; closed on Fridays. The rupee figure quoted is the Indian adult rate. Government monuments, museums and forest reserves in India often charge foreign visitors more, and we have not verified whether this site does.

How do I reach Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House)?

Base yourself in Tharangambadi or nearby in Mayiladuthurai, then confirm the last-mile route locally before travel. If access depends on temple, museum or seasonal rules, check on the day before you go.

How much time do I need for Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House)?

About an hour.

What else is near Tharangambadi Maritime Museum (Van Theylingen House)?

Nearby you can pair The Bungalow on the Beach and Danish Governor's Mansions, Tranquebar (190 m), New Jerusalem Church, Tranquebar (380 m), Zion Church, Tharangambadi (530 m), Masilamaninathar Temple, Tharangambadi (600 m).