Bekal Fort is a medieval fort built by Shivappa Nayaka of Keladi in 1650 AD, at

Bekal Bekal is a small town in the Kasaragod district on the West coast of the state of Kerala, India. Location Bekal is a town located south of Kasaragod town and north of Kanhangad on the State Highway 57. Bekal Fort is the largest fort in Ker ...

. It is the largest fort in Kerala, spreading over . Bakel Fort Beach Kasaragod4

Structure

The fort appears to emerge from the sea. Almost three-quarters of its exterior is in contact with water. Bekal fort was not an administrative centre and does not include any palaces or mansions. An important feature is the water-tank, magazine and the flight of steps leading to an observation tower built by Tipu Sultan. Standing at the centre of the fort, this offers views of the coastline and the towns of Kanhangad, Pallikkara, Bekal, Mavval, Kottikkulam, and Uduma. The fort's zigzag entrance and surrounding trenches reveal its defensive strategy. Holes on the outer walls are designed to defend the fort effectively from naval attacks. The upper holes meant for aiming at the farthest targets; lower holes below for striking as enemy nearer and the lowest holes to attacking enemy closest to the fort. Its solid construction resembles the Thalassery Fort and the St. Angelo Fort at

Kannur Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and a municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the major port city and commercial hu ...

built by the Dutch .

History

During the ''Perumal Age'' Bekal was a part of Mahodayapuram. Following the decline of Mahodayapuram Perumals, Bekal came under the sovereignty of the Mushika or

Kolathiri Kolathiri or Kolathiri Rājā (King of KolathunāduA. Shreedhara Menon (2007), ''A brief History of Kerala'', DC Books, Kottayam or King of Cannanore in foreign accounts) was the title by which the senior-most male along the matrilineal line of ...

or Chirakkal Royal Family in the 12th century. The Hindu, 22 Oct 2005 The maritime importance of Bekal increased under the Kolathiris and Malabar became an important port town. After the

Battle of Talikota The Battle of Talikota (23 January 1565) was a watershed battle fought between the Vijayanagara Empire and an alliance of the Deccan sultanates. The battle resulted in the defeat of Aliya Rama Raya which led to the eventual collapse of the poli ...

in 1565 feudatory chieftains including the

Keladi Nayaka Nayakas of Keladi (1499–1763), also known as Nayakas of Bednore and Ikkeri Nayakas, were an Indian dynasty based in Keladi in present-day Shimoga district of Karnataka, India. They were an important ruling dynasty in post-medieval Karnata ...

s (Ikkeri Nayaks) became powerful in the region. Bekal served as a hub to first dominate, then later defend Malabar. The economic importance of this port town prompted the Nayakas to fortify Bekal subsequently. Hiriya Venkatappa Nayaka initiated the construction of the fort and it was completed in 1650 AD by

Shivappa Nayaka Shivappa Nayaka (ಶಿವಪ್ಪ ನಾಯಕ) (r.1645–1660), popularly known as Keladi Shivappa Nayaka, was an Indian king and ruler of the Keladi Nayaka Kingdom. The Keladi Nayakas were successors of the Vijayanagara Empire in the coa ...

. Chandragiri fort near Kasargod was also built during this period. Kasargod: History & Society The struggles between the Kolathiries and nayaks to hold this area ended when

Hyder Ali Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the at ...

conquered the Nayakas and Bekal fell into the hands of Mysore kings. It was an important military station for Tipu Sultan when he led a military expedition to capture Malabar. The coins and artefacts found in archaeological excavations at Bekal fort indicate the strong presence of Mysore Sultans. Tipu Sultan's death during the

Fourth Anglo-Mysore War The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War was a conflict in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore against the British East India Company and the Hyderabad Deccan in 1798–99. This was the final conflict of the four Anglo-Mysore Wars. The British captured ...

ended Mysorean control in 1799. The fort came under the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

's control and became the headquarters of the Bekal Taluk of South Canara District in Bombay presidency. The political and economic importance of Bekal and its port declined. Nearby the Mukhyaprana Temple of

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

and ancient Muslim mosque bear testimony to the religious harmony that prevailed in the area.

Tourism

India declared Bekal Fort a special tourism area in 1992 and formed Bekal Tourism Development Corporation three years later to promote it. The fort has been featured in the song 'Uyire' (Tamil) from the movie

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

and the song ‘Dwadashiyil’ from the

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

movie

Madhuranombarakattu ''Madhuranombarakattu'' () is a 2000 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Kamal and written by Raghunath Paleri, starring Biju Menon and Samyuktha Varma. The music was composed by Vidyasagar. The film won the Kerala State Film Award ...

Transportation

Local roads connect to

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ke ...

in the north and

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second l ...

in the south. The nearest railway station is Bekal Fort Railway Station,

Kanhangad Railway Station Kanhangad railway station ''(Code:KZE)'' is a major and one of the busiest railway station under A – category stations of Palakkad Division, serving the town of Kanhangad in the Kasaragod district of Kerala. It lies in the Shoranur–Mangalor ...

and

Kotikulam Railway Station Kottikkulam railway station is a major railway station serving the town of Kottikulam in the Kasaragod District of Kerala, India. Line It lies in the Shoranur–Mangalore section of the Southern Railway zone. Infrastructure The station ...

on Mangalore-

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...

line. There are airports at

and

. File:Bekal fort kasaragod 01.jpg, A view of Bekalfort watch tower File:Bekal fort kasaragod 15.jpg, A view of sea shore from Bekal fort File:Bekal fort kasaragod 21.jpg, A view of sea shore from Bekal fort File:Bekal fort kasaragod 25.jpg, A view of sea shore from Bekal fort File:Bekal fort kasaragod 26.jpg, Cannonballs kept at Bekal fort File:Bekal fort kasaragod 16.jpg, A view of sea shore from Bekal fort File:Bekal fort kasaragod 11.jpg, A view of Bekal fort from its watch tower File:Bekal Fort watch tower view.jpg, A view of sea from watch tower

In popular culture

The song 'Uyire Uyire' from the film

was shot in Bekal Fort.

References