I am very glad I made a change in my schedule. Rather than going to Pondicherry Xavier Benedict advised me to visit the Dutch fort and cemetery in Machilipatnam (Masulipatnam). The fort was started by the Dutch in the17th century. But the French and British took over later

Great news for the Dutch-Indian shared heritage! The Dutch cemetery in Machilipatnam is being renovated. 20 tombstones 16 with Dutch tombstones tell interesting stories. Two guys receiving me are building contractors to renovate the center for the Archeological Department of Machilipatnam.

They started one week ago to construct a walking path around the tombstones. They expected to finish this work in one month. My English speaking driver Shahazan helped translating.

The oldest tomb was from 1610, a young boy. Other Dutch inscriptions have dates between 1660 and 1689.