'
Bekal Fort' is the largest fort in
Kerala, situated at
Kasaragod district,
North Kerala. spreading over
40 acres. Some important features of this fort are the water-tank with its flight of steps, the tunnel opening towards the south, the magazine for keeping ammunition and the broad steps leading to the
Observation Tower, which is a rarity. From there one has an ample view of towns in the vicinity like
Kanhangad,
Pallikkara, Bekal, Kottikkulam, Uduma etc. The nearest railway stations are Pallikare, Kotikulam, Kanhangad,and
Kasargod. This observation center had strategic significance in discovering even the smallest movements of the enemy and ensuring the safety of the
Fort.
The Fort appears to have been built up from the sea since almost three fourths of its exterior is drenched and the waves continually stroke the citadel. The Mukhyaprana
Temple of
Hanuman and the ancient Muslim mosque nearby bear 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 inherent in the fort.
Unlike most other
Indian forts, Bekal Fort was not a center of administration, for no remains of any palace, mansion or such buildings are found within the fort. Arguably the fort was built especially for fulfilling defense requirements. The holes on the outer walls of the fort are specially designed to defend the fort effectively. The holes at top were meant for aiming at the farthest points; the holes below for striking when the enemy was nearer and the holes underneath facilitated attacking when the enemy was very near to the fort. This is remarkable evidence of technology in defense strategy.
Sivappa Nayaka of
Bednore constructed the Bekal Fort in 1650AD. During the
Perumal Age Bekal was a part of
Mahodayapuram. The Kodavalam inscription (
Pullur, 7 km from Kanhangad) of Bhasakara
Ravi II (the
King of Mahodayapuram) illustrate the undisputed political sway of Mahodayapuram over this region.
Following the political decline of Mahodayapuram
Perumals by the
12th century AD, North Kerala including Bekal, came under the sovereignty of
Mushika or Kolathiri or
Chirakkal Royal Family (who were a secondary royal family at that
point to the
Cheras,
Pandyas and
Cholas). The maritime importance of Bekal increased much under the Kolathiris and it became an important port town of
Tulunadu and
Malabar.
It was usual in older days for every royal palace to be protected by a fort. The Bekal fort might have, therefore, existed even from early days of the Chirakkal Rajas. While writing a description of the Kolathiri
Kingdom in his Kerala
History,
K.P. Padmanabha Menon writes: "The eldest of the male members reigned as sovereign Kolathiri. The next in succession, the heir apparent, was the Thekkelamkur. The residence assigned to him was the Vadakara fort. The third in succession was the Vadakkelamkur in charge of Vekkolath fort. This
V(B)ekkolath fort is identified by some scholars as the present Bekal."
In
1992 the
Government of India declared Bekal Fort as a special tourism area
. In the year
1995 the government formed Bekal
Tourism Development Corporation for transforming Bekal Fort into international tourism centre. Tourism promotion activities have been taking place of late in the areas surrounding the fort, under the Bekal Resorts Development Corporation (
BRDC). The song '
Uyire' (
Tamil) from the movie '
Bombay' directed by
Mani Ratnam has been shot at Bekal Fort. Many such films, music albums, commercial advertisements etc., are being shot at Bekal Fort.
by shrinath palegar and chiranjeevi palegar
- published: 04 Mar 2013
- views: 5310