- Type
- Fortress
- Built
- c. 1650 · 17th century
- Coordinates
- 12.3929°, 75.0336°
History
The fort was built around 1650 by the Keladi Nayaka rulers – tradition credits it to Shivappa Nayaka, who was strengthening the coast of his kingdom. In 1763 Bekal was taken by Hyder Ali of Mysore, and his son Tipu Sultan made it an important base for his campaigns in Malabar. After Tipu's defeat in 1799 the fortress passed to the British East India Company. In time it lost its military role, and today it is a protected monument and one of the leading sights of northern Kerala.
What to see
Laterite walls enclose a broad grassy headland and on the seaward side drop straight into the waves. A winding zigzag entrance, once a hindrance to attackers, leads inside, where an observation tower in the centre looks along the coast. A Hanuman temple stands at the entrance and an old mosque nearby, and a beach stretches below the fort.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q3519346
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