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BEKAL FORT

Bekal Fort is a medieval fort situated in Kasaragod district Kerala. Around 16 km south of Kasaragod in northern Kerala and the sea shore of the Arabian sea.it is one of the popular forts in Kerala. Many more tourists and local people visit this place to explore and understand the history. It is a giant keyhole-shaped 300-year-old fort, surrounded by the beach, that offers a superb view of the Arabian Sea from its tall observation towers, where a few centuries ago huge cannons used to be placed.

There is much history behind the construction of the fort. Many believe that the fort was built by king Shivappa Nayak, the ruler of the Karnataka kingdom. and many others believe that the fort existed during the rule of Chirakkal or Kolathiri Rajas as such a fort was built in the olden days for defence purposes. It was later attacked by the king Shivappa Nayak of Bednore. And also said that the Nayak brought the Koteyar/Rama Kshatriya community to Bekal and the other places in the district of Kasaragod to strengthen the fort. 

In later days Hyder Ali came to power in Mysore (Karnataka). he attacked large areas that included the Bekal fort also. Son of Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan took the fort as a base for his military operation. Tipu was killed in the Fourth Anglo Mysore war (1799) and then the fort came into the possession of the East India Company. And the fort is also having some part of the British rulers for their military ventures and administrative subdivision called Bombay presidency.  In later days it became Kasaragod taluk when south Canara joined Madras presidency in the year 1862.in 1956 the govt of India recognized the states. Later Kasaragod district became a part of the new state of Kerala. nowadays the Bekal tourism development corporation is trying to make the place an international tourist centre. 

The architecture of the fort sits 130 feet above sea level on 40 acres. The entrance, 12-meter-high walls, tactically planned openings on the outer walls, and trenches around the entire fort area sound volumes of the impressive defence strategy that the past rulers adopted. The focal point of the fort is the observation tower with peepholes. The main feature of the fort’s architecture is the outstanding utilisation of defence technology. The peepholes on the outer walls were built to observe and protect from the naval attack.

When you visit the fort you can see the mosque outside the fort, built by the Tipu sultan. At the entrance of the fort there, we can see a small temple of Lord Hanuman.it is renovating recently and it is a major attraction to the visitors and devotees. In the middle of the fort, there is the tower, which can be reached by climbing a flight of stairs. It has a height of 30 feet and a circumference of 80 feet. When climbing on the tower it gives a fantastic view of the Arabian sea with rocky shoreline and greenery. And inside the fort, there is also some underground passage leading to the outside from different locations, still intact. The sea bastion on the rocky projection of the fort gives mesmerizing views of the beach and the Arabian sea. And the stunning view of the sunset attracts more visitors to the Bekal fort. And there is a big and beautiful also attracts the visitors. Moreover, there we can enjoy small food stalls for refreshment, it also enjoyed by the visitors.

As well as it is a worth visiting place for every category of people……