Story of Bekal Fort

This architectural marvel is the largest fort in Kerala & stands proudly over the cliff that faces the sea. Built with specific need of defence from enemies who came by sea & land has around 3/4th of its structure into the sea. The sea waves keep drenching its walls but the fort has withstood damages for centuries.  

Built by the famous Shivappa Nayak of the Ikkeri dynasty in the 1650’s has many legends & stories associated with its construction. It is believed that the Kolathiri Rajas built the fort & Shivappa Nayak only conquered it in battle. This story doesn't have any documentary backing & the reason for its credit is given to Shivappa due to his reputation of building many similar forts around which are still present. As per historians another sequence of events suggest that Shivappa Nayak only reconstructed the fort to its current structure over an existent fort. The place of bekal & its surrounds were under the Vijayanagara empire during the 16th century & when they fell, the Nayaks annexed Tulunadu from Udupi to Kasargod. The Vijayanagara empire had given the reigns of these parts of Tulunad to Chirakkal raja to the west & Kolathiri Rajas to the south. It is said they would have built a small fort which was reconstructed by Shivappa Nayak when he captured it. This story is based on the fact that the older name of the fort was Vekkolath Kotta which has the name similar to the Kolathiri Raja by name of Vadakkelamkur who was 2nd in line to the throne. Whatever may be the story of its origin, the design & construction has been a scene of marvel for many architects across generations. The sight of its grandeur can be viewed from a distance & its presence would have rattled the nerves of any enemy troops.  

Inside the fort one can find sea bastions, underground tunnels & observation tower. The observation itself is a construction marvel with a long & wide flight of stairs. The tower is also the tallest in any fort of Kerala which is around 30ft & during its time as a defence bastion men could easily keep watch on any movement in all directions. The entrance to the fort has a zigzag formation & trenches on both sides make it a structure difficult to conquer. The most photographed & visited area of the fort is the sea bastion which gives a great view of the sea. The fort also had a magazine used to store arms & ammunition. The fort also has many underground tunnels which open to different sides of the fort, some also to the sea. The tunnels today are closed for people to visit but they were strategically placed to allow troops to leave and enter at times of ambush.  

Another feature one can find on the structure of this fort is multiple holes along its exterior. The top holes are meant to aim at the farthest points, middle section for attack on marching troops & lower holes meant to attack the enemies if they get close to the fort. The fort unlike others does not have any palaces or living quarters & suggests to the fact that it was only used for defence purposes. There is also a Hanuman temple at the entrance considered to be as old as the fort. The Kolathiri & Chirakkal rajas kept attacking the fort for control from the Ikkeri rulers but in vain. It was finally captured by Hyder Ali who kept it in his control but later lost it to the British as a peace treaty. The British held the control till the Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan conquered it. Tipu is also credited for building a mosque near the fort for his troops. The British finally took control after the defeat of Tipu. 

A place to visit for all & be awed by its architecture.