BEKAL FORT
AT
KASARAGOD
Bekal Fort is situated in Kasorgod district of Kerala State of India.Bekal
Fort is spread over 40 acres (160,000 m2). Some important features of this fort
are the water-tank with its flight of steps, the tunnel opening towards the
south, the magazine for keeping ammunition and the broad and wide steps leading
to the Observation Tower which is a rarity.
From there one has ample view of towns in the vicinity like Kanhangad,
Pallikare, Bekal, Kottikkulam, Uduma etc. This observation center had strategic
significance in discovering even the smallest movements of the enemy and ascertaining
safety of the Fort.
The Fort appears to have been built up from the sea since almost three
fourth of its exteriors is drenched and the waves continually stroke the
citadel. The Mukhyaprana Temple of Hanuman and the ancient Muslim Mosque nearby
bear testimony to the age-old religious harmony that prevailed in the area. The
zigzag entrance and the moats around the fort show the defense strategy
inherent in the fort.
It is believed that the Bekal fort might have existed even from early
days of the Chirakkal Rajas for the fact that it was common in those days to
build a fort for the purpose of defense. Many of the old royal palaces have
forts to protect them from the enemies.
Decribing the Kolathiri Kingdom in his Kerala History, K.P. Padmanabha
Menon writes that the residence allotted to the Thekkelamkur: "The eldest
of the male members reigned as sovereign Kolathiri. The next in succession, the
heir apparent, was the Thekkelamkur.
The residence assigned to him was the Vadakara fort. The third in succession
was the Vadakkelamkur in charge of Vekkolath fort. This V (B) ekkolath fort is
identified by some scholars as the present Bekal.
For the British also Bekal Fort was significant for their military and
administrative ventures. During the reign of the Company Bekal became the
headquarters of the newly organized Bekal Taluk of South Canara District in
Bombay presidency. South Canara became a part of the Madras presidency in 1862
and Bekal Taluk was renamed Kasargod Taluk. Slowly the political and economic
magnitude of Bekal and its port declined considerably. With the state
reorganization in 1956 Kasargod became part of Kerala.
Today, the Bekal fort and its surroundings are fast becoming an
international tourist destination and a favourite shooting locale for film and
ad makers. Bekal is also one of the five centres selected by the Government of
India to be developed into a 'Special Tourism Area'.
