The fort was built on the shores of
Pulicat Lake, which provides access to the
Bay of Bengal and the
Coromandel Coast, an important area for trade and a scene of rivalry between the colonial powers of the Dutch, the
Portuguese, and the
British. A Portuguese fort had existed previously on the spot, and Fort Geldria was built on its foundations, with the permission of Queen Oboyama, wife of
Vijayanagara Emperor Venkatapati Raya, based in
Chandragiri Fort, who was supposed to contribute financially and become part-owner. This process, however, proved too slow for the Dutch, and they decided to finance and build it themselves. Within one month of completion, the fort came under attack from a local chieftain, Etheraja. After he was repulsed, the Portuguese attacked the fort from both land and sea but were fought off. The Dutch formed an alliance with the local traders and the Portuguese were kept at bay. The fort, which was supplied by the
Gouden Leeuw in 1618 with 130 Dutch soldiers and 32 guns, became a focal point in the local turmoil and provided refuge to people from the Portuguese colonies. In 1619, the chief at Fort Geldria was accorded the title of Governor and Extraordinary Councillor of the Indies. In the second half of the seventeenth century, the fort's importance as a trading post (it dealt mainly in
cotton fabrics) began to decline, due partly to competition with the British but mostly as a result of the southward expansion of the
Mughal Empire. By 1689, the government moved to
Negapatnam and subsequently to
Ceylon. When the director's seat moved, the fort was left with 18 guns and 40 men. The fort was restored in 1714, and was occupied by the British from 1781 to 1785. Fort Geldria's success as a trading post seems unaffected by the changes of power. In 1786, for instance,
caravans loaded with merchandise come in every month from places like
Golkonda and
Suratte and ships sail in from the
Red Sea,
Goa, and
Malabar; there is a lively trade in cotton fabric and a flourishing industry in the
dyeing of textiles. A 1792 description of Dutch trading posts in the East reports trade in
sugar,
arrack, Japanese
copper, and
spices. In 1795, the Dutch surrendered the fort to the British and blew it up in 1804 or 1805, before finally giving ownership to the British on 1 June 1825. ==British, Indian ownership==