Bekal Fort – Historical importance and facts of Bekal Fort
One of the best preserved and the largest forts of the State, Bekal fort, is one of the most important monuments of Kasargod. Supposedly built by Sivappa Naik of the Ikkeri dynasty in the late 17th century, it was taken over by Hyder Ali and later by the British.
This well preserved fort has an impressive observation tower along with many underground tunnels and sea bastions. This imposing structure is built on 35 acre of land which gently seeps in to the sea, giving a superb views of the vast ocean. The 300 year old Bekal Fort is also of archaeological importance due to its long chequered history.
Bekal Fort Interesting Facts
- In view of the historical relevance of the fort, in 1992 AD the fort was made a ‘Special Tourist Zone’ to be led and preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India.
- To promote the works of the fort, Bekal Tourism Development Corporation was formed in the year 1995.
- This fort is built on top of a hill in Kasaragod district and has a zig zag entrance all around the fort with a huge cannon mounted on the roof of the fort.
- A watch tower is built inside the fort, from which the view of the sea is very beautiful.
- The reason for this fort being a sea citadel and the observation of the underground Tunnels are impressive sights. And an old Mosque remains near the fort. It is believed that it was built by Tipu Sultan.
- This fort is covered over an area of about 40 acres, making it considered the largest fort in the state of Kerala.
- In the Bekal fort itself, the Tamil song of a Telugu film ‘Uire’, made in Bombay in 2001, was filmed in the fort.
How to reach Bekal Fort
Local roads connect Mangalore in the north and Calicut in the south to reach Bekal Fort. One can easily reach the fort from these roads. And besides this, the nearest railway station is Bekal Fort Railway Station and Kanhangad Railway Station, about 16 km away from the fort on the Mumbai route. Simultaneously, Calicut International Airport is about 50 km from the city of Mangalore, and about 200 km from Kasaragod.
