Experience

Traveling through the busy National Highway (NH 66), finally one can enter into the shades of coconut trees in the coastal village of Bekal. The modern day tourism has brought life to the grand old fort, with a well maintained car parking area and numerous food and souvenir stalls awaiting tourists all over the world!

The magnificent entrance of the fort welcomes you to witness what this centuries old Fort has within it! Right after the entrance gate, just before the ticket counter for the entry pass, is situated the Mukhyaprana Temple of Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god. The temple has stucco images of gods on its walls. Nearby the fort, one can also see an ancient Muslim mosque (said to be built by Tipu Sultan) bearing the testimony to the religious harmony that prevailed in the area.

A little ahead to the Temple is the ticket counter near to which the history of the Fort has been engraved on a giant Marble stone for a quick read in three languages (English, Hindi and Malayalam) by the Archaeological Survey of India. It’s the ASI that preserve and maintain this enchanting fort!

Bekal Fort is situated on the shores of the Arabian Sea in the Pallikkare Village which is a fishermen village in Kasaragod. Overtime, Bekal has now turned into an important tourist attraction in North Kerala. One must enter through the main entrance of the Fort where a ticket will be provided at the rate of Rs.50 per Adult person. The ticket amount is used for the maintenance and salary of security and maintenance staffs of the fort! Entering the interior of the Fort, one can see a vast area protected with watch towers and compound walls of the fort. In recent times, beautiful walkways have been created for tourists to walk around the fort in a circuit and experience the overall beauty of the structure. Being covered itself in 3 sides by the sea, the fort provide spectacular view points in almost all of its watch town. The stands by the Arabian Sea, whose unending waves keeps singing to the fort the odes of a golden age - a bygone era. This enchanting fort has bared witness for the rise and falls of many kings and kingdoms. It has been a source of attraction for historians, tourists and nature - lovers for centuries since it embodies memories of a glorious past.

The fort citadel have been built using laterite blocks. The fort has a roughly polygonal structure on plan and is perched on the steep bank of the sea creating an architectural marvel! It is believed to have been built by the Shivappa Nayaka of Bednore in 1650 A.D. Other version of the constructions credit the fort into the account of Kolathiri Rajas. The historians tag the presence of the Mushika dynasty, the Kolathiri, Vijayanagara Empires, Tipu Sultan, and The Keladi Nayakas and in the end the British.

The zigzag entrance and the trenches around the fort show the defence strategy connected with the fort. Bekal Fort is the biggest fort in Kerala, at 130 ft. above sea level, spreading over an area of 40 acres, to be preserved in its kind. The important features of this fort are the tank with its flight of steps, the opening of the tunnel towards the South, the magazine for keeping ammunition and the broad and wide steps leading to the Observation Tower is a rarity. From there one has ample view of all the important places in the vicinity like Kanhangad, Pallikkare, Bekal, Kottikkulam Uduma etc. This observation centre has strategic significance in finding out even the smallest movements of the enemy and ascertaining the safety of the Fort.

Unlike most other Indian Forts, Bekal fort was not a centre of administration for no remains of a Palace are found within the Fort. Probably the fort was built for fulfilling the defence requirements. The holes on the outer walls of the fort are so remarkable that they are specially designed to define the fort effectively. The holes at the top are meant for aiming at the farthest points; the holes below are meant for hitting when the enemy is nearer and the holes underneath facilitate attacking when the enemy is very near to the fort. This is a remarkable evidence for the medieval technology of defence strategy. Apart from this, the wild and ecstatic beauty of the setting sun is a glorious presence in the fort.