A quick walk around the Bekal Fort

Bekal Fort has a unique place in the history of Kerala. Situated in Pallikkara village of Kasaragod district, this coastal fort and the adjacent Bekal beach are important travel spots of the Malabar region in the state.

A view of the Arabian sea from the fort is simply superb. The serene beach is also equipped with a children’s park.

Built of laterite, the fort has massive walls of about 12 metre height and is spread over fourty acres. The walls and ramparts facing the sea are interspersed by bastions with openings for guns.

The fort is considered to be built by Sivapa Nayaka of Badanore between 1650 and 1670. In 1763 the fort came under the control of Haider Ali, the King of nearby State of Mysore and later under his son Tipu Sultan.

When the Mysorean reign came to an end in the region, the Fort was taken over by the English East India Company. Today this is preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India.