Ziegenbalg memorial yet to materialise despite announcement in State Assembly

MAYILADUTHURAI

Over a year after the Tamil Nadu government announced in the Legislative Assembly the construction of a memorial hall and statue for Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg, the German missionary and Tamil scholar, works have not been picked up yet.

Ziegenbalg, who arrived in Tharangambadi on July 9, 1706, after a 222-day sea voyage, is credited with establishing the first Tamil printing press in India in 1712. He also founded Asia’s first Protestant church, the New Jerusalem Church, and published Tamil grammars and dictionaries by transferring palm leaf manuscripts to paper. Widely acknowledged as a social reformer, he fought for education rights of women and marginalised communities, and set up schools, vocational training centres, and printing facilities.

In the 2024 budget session, Chief Minister M. K. Stalin announced plans to build a memorial hall with a statue to honour Ziegenbalg’s contributions and to be implemented by the Tamil Development and Information Department. The move followed years of demand by political parties and scholars.

“Officials have identified land outside Tharangambadi, in Poraiyar, which makes no sense. The memorial must be built inside the Danish Fort area where Ziegenbalg lived and worked,” said S. Johnson, a social activist.

Officials from the Tamil Development Department confirmed that land near Tharangambadi police station, adjacent to the tahsildar office, had been earmarked for the purpose. A Government Order sanctioning funds was expected shortly, and construction was likely to begin within a month.