The Dutch East India Company arrived in Surat in 1616. They traded here for 200 years, built a factory, surveyed every road, and left 400 tombs. No school in Surat teaches any of this. 1. Dutch surveyors made India's most detailed historic maps of Surat, not the British. 20 of those maps survive in The Hague today.
2. The tallest tomb in the cemetery rises 3 storeys. It holds a senior VOC director who died in Surat far from Amsterdam.
3. About 400 Dutch, Flemish and German VOC servants lie in this ground. The oldest grave dates to 1624.
4. Every tombstone carries a Latin inscription naming the man's rank, age and year of death. Several name the VOC Council in Batavia.
5. Dutch draughtsmen drew the factory floor room by room. Their concept plans survive in the Dutch national archive.
6. Dutch ships anchored at Suvali beach and rowed up the Tapi. The castle they passed has stood since 1546. Which part of Dutch Surat surprised you most? Tell us below. Save this for your next walk through Old Surat.
Join Surat's WhatsApp group: iamsuratcity.com/join
#surat #suratcity #iamsuratcity #suratdiaries #suratgram #instasurat #exploresurat #onlyinsurat #suratlife #gujarat
Udhna, Surat | Oct 4, 2026 
