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Forts In Kerala
- Bekal Fort
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Bekal Fort is the biggest fort in Kerala, spreading over forty acres. The important features of this fort are the tank with its flight of steps, the tunnel opening towards the south, the magazine for keeping ammunition and the broad and wide steps leading to the Observation Tower which is a rarity. From there one has ample view of towns in the vicinity like Kanhangad, Pallikare, Bekal, Kottikkulam, Uduma etc. This observation centre had strategic significance in finding out even the smallest movements of the enemy and ascertaining safety of the Fort.
The Fort appears to have been built up from the sea since almost three fourth of its exteriors is drenched and the waves stroke the citadel. The Hanuman temple and the ancient Muslim Mosque nearby hold testimony to the age-old religious harmony that prevailed in the area. The zigzag entrance and the trenches around the fort show the defense strategy connected with the fort.
Unlike most other Indian Forts, Bekal fort was not a center of administration for no remains of a palace are found within the fort. Arguably the fort was built exclusively for fulfilling the defense requirements. The holes on the outer walls of the fort are specially designed to defend the fort effectively. The holes at top are meant for aiming at the farthest points; the holes below are meant for hitting when the enemy is nearer and the holes underneath facilitate attacking when the enemy is very near to the fort. This is a remarkable evidence of medieval technology in defense strategy.
District : Kasargod .
Nearest railway station : Kasargod ( 15 Km) .
Nearest Airport : Mangalore Airport ( 50 Km ).
- St. Angelo Fort
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St. Angelo Fort is situated 3 km from the town of Kannur, a city in Kerala state, south India. St. Angelo's Fort was built in 1505 by Sir Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese Viceroy of India and is on the Arabian sea about 3 km from Kannur town. The fort changed hands several times. In 1663 the Dutch captured it and sold it to the Arakkal Royal Family in 1772. The British conquered it in 1790 and transformed it into one of their major military stations on the Malabar Coast. It is fairly well preserved as a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India. A painting of this fort and the fishing ferry behind it can be seen in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The Dutch captured the fort from the Portuguese in 1663, then later sold the fort to king Ali Raja of Arakkal.
District : Kannur .
Nearest railway station : Kannur ( 4 Km) .
Nearest Airport : Karipur International Airport Kozhikode ( 92 km ).
- Thalassery Fort
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The British arrived in Thalassery in 1683 and errected a goods shed there. They shifted their commercial capital to Thalassery from Kozhikode, following obstruction from the Dutch.
In 1700, the British built the Thalassery Fort on a small hill called Tiruvellapadkunnu and in 1708, it was strengthened by increasing its height and with bastions. The fort is a square structure built of laterite and is distinguished by its massive ventilated walls and strong flanking bastions. It was here that Haider's captain was imprisoned.The famous St.John's Anglican church is behind this fort.
District : Kannur .
Nearest railway station : Kannur ( 22 Km) .
Nearest Airport : Karipur International Airport Kozhikode ( 92 km )
- Fort of Tipu Sultan
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Fort dating from 1766, built by Hyder Ali of Mysore. In 1784, after a siege which lasted eleven days, the British Colonel Fullerton stormed the Fort. Later it fell into the hands of the Zamorin’s troops, but was recaptured by the British in 1790. This well-preserved fort is also known as Tipu's (Tipu Sultan, son of Hyder Ali) Fort. Today there is a functioning jail in the fort grounds.
District : Palakkad .
Nearest railway station : Palakkad ( 5 Km) .
Nearest Airport : Coimbatore ( 55km )
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