BOOK LAUNCH! Today 27th October 2020 the biography of the 18th-century traveler in India Jacob Haafner has been launched by NUS Press of Singapore University. Originally researched and written in Dutch by Dr.Paul van der Velde and translated into English … Continued
Jacob Haafner remembers his stay of one and a half years in Sadras as the best time of his life. He had a job that satisfied him and paid well. But he best remembers the relaxed life style, where natives … Continued
The third part in the series of Jacob Haafner’s rendering of the battle at Perambani, also know as Pollilur. Haafner had a deep resentment of the British about how they treated the Indian people. And thought of Tippoo Sultan as … Continued
In this second part of Jacob Haafner’s report on the Battle of Perambani (better known as Pollilur) he describes the use of rockets by the Indian forces. The English eventually captured the technology of the Mysore iron rockets when they … Continued
Here I continue my translation of the works of Jacob Haafner, who lived and worked on the Coromandel in the latter part of the 18th century. Haafner was a great lover of India and its people and had a deep … Continued
Jacob Haafner’s deep interest and love for the Indian civilisation is expressed through his travelogues. Especially by his description of the ruins of Mahabalipuram, or Mavelievarom, as he called it in his day. Here he muses about the fate of … Continued
Jacob Haafner was deeply fascinated by the ancient ruins of Mahabalipuram. He visited often, he tells his readers, while living in Sadras. Here he speculates about it having been the great city of Yudhisthira, the hero of the Mahabharata. Even … Continued
Now Mahabalipuram is a famous Unesco Heritage site and tourist destination. The first traveller to write about is extensively was Jacob Haafner, a scribe with the VOC living at Sadras. Herein this blog his description is translated into English for … Continued
In the 18th century Mahabalipuram was one of the ancient sites for which Jacob Haafner had a lot of respect and enthusiasm. A Dutch VOC employee and traveller he wrote about it in one of his travelogues. Here he describes … Continued
Mahabalipuram’s seven pagodas were still visible above the waves in the latter half of the 18th century. One of the first travellers to describe them was Jacob Haafner. He often visited its ruins while living in Sadras. He worked as … Continued