Any account of Heritage of Kerala will be incomplete without a mention of the several historic forts in this beautiful land.
Bekal Fort: Built over an expanse of 40 acres of land this is the
largest fort in Kerala. Bekal Fort is located in Kasargode district in Northern Kerala. This seems to have been built mainly as part of a well-thought out defence strategy with zig-zag entrance and trenches; moreover the fort is right at the shore, with an observation tower, The holes at various levels in the outer walls of the fort go to establish the defence strategy behind the construction of this fort.
Paloor Fort: A fort built by Tippu Sultan, King of Mysore ia located at Paloor, near Angadipuram in Mallapuram district.
Anchuthengu: The Anchuthengu fort is around 40KM north of Thiruvananthapuram. It is here that British East India Company first established in Kerala in the year 1864. Anchuthengu literally means five coconuts. The King of Travancore gave to the East India Company an area marked by five coconut trees, on lease. It is here that the British built the fort. The fort stands today as a mark of the beginning of British establishment in Kerala.
St.Angelose: This fort stands at Kannur, about 90KM from Kozhikode. This was built by the Portuguese viceroy.
Thalassery: There is a fort at Thallaseery, built in 1708 by the Bristish East India Company. This city was an important trading centre. This is also the birth place of the ‘circus’ industry of Kerala.
Chandragiri Fort: This was built by Shivappa Nayaka in the 17th century. The fort is around 150 feet above see level on the banks of river Payaswini and is located in Kasargod district. It offers a panoramic view of the river valley and the Arabian sea. The fort is not currently maintained well.
Hosdurg Fort: This is also in Kasargod district. This fort was built by Somashekara Nayaka. The place is known for the Nithyanandasram containing forty five caves.
Palakkad Fort: This fort’s early history is not clear. It was renovated and rebuilt by the Mysore King Hyder Ali in 1766. From that time, till 1790, it has been alternatively in the hands of the Mysore Sultans and the British. The fort is also known as Tipu’s Fort. This is one of the well preserved forts of Kerala. There is a temple for Lord Ajaneya inside the fort. The central prison also is inside the fort. There is a big open ground in front of the Fort known as Kotta Maidhanam.
