Although printing technology was introduced to India by the Portuguese in Goa during the mid-16th century, it saw a revival in the early 18th century in Tharangambadi, a coastal town in what is now the Mayiladuthurai district, Tamil Nadu due to the efforts of the Danish-Halle Mission. To ensure the presence of Lutheran priests for religious services in Danish settlements, King Frederick IV of Denmark invited the Pietists from Halle in eastern Germany to send priests to Tharangambadi (then calledTranquebar) in 1705.
Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg, a theology student from the University of Halle, joined the Danish-Halle Mission for Tranquebar and arrived by sea on July 9, 1706. This marked the arrival of the first Protestant missionary in India. Ziegenbalg found the need to learn Tamil to interact with the local population.
In 1708, he began the endeavour of translating the New Testament of the Bible into Tamil. He finished this challenging task three years later. Acknowledging the challenge of handwritten translations, he sought a printing press from the Denmark King. He was the first to bring the printing press to Tamil Nadu. The method of using this printing press was to first line up the letters, apply ink on them and then print on a white sheet of paper.
During that period, everyone corresponded using the printing press, which operated using individual letters in what is known as the typesetting system. In 1713, the printing of the New Testament began, and after nearly two years of continuous effort, the task was finished on July 15, 1715. Notably, the first published book in Tamil was Thurukkal. The wooden printing press that Ziegenbalg used was damaged several decades after his death.
A donor from Chennai contributed a replica of the machine, specifically the Clymer and Dixon Columbian Iron Eagle Press, which is now exhibited in the museum. Many tourists visit Tharangambadi from local and foreign countries to see it. Rs 20 is charged as an entry fee for tourists coming to see this printing press.
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