Bekal Fort

 

Bekal Fort Kasargod, Kerala

History 

During Kolathiri kingdom's reign, Vekkolath Fort was identified by a number of scholars as the Bekal Fort. It is supposed that later the Bednore rulers rebuilt the fort and heavy renovations were done to improve it. Bekal Fort has supposedly served the Nayakas in establishing their dominance in the then called Malabar region. Later, the Nayakas found out the economic importance of the port and hence, they fortified the Bekal Fort subsequently. The renovations of Bekal Fort were started during the reign of Hiriya Venkatappa Nayaka. The renovations were finished during the period of Shivappa Nayaka - both of these rulers were of the Nayaka clan. The Nayakas needed the speedy completion of Bekal Fort's construction, so that they could use it for the defense of the port and also to curb any other overseas attack on the Malabar territory. For the same reasons, Chandragiri Fort was also erected by the Nayakas. Later on, Bekal Fort came under the majestic Tippu Sultan when he led a great military expedition to add the Malabar to his territory. Excavations were done in and near Bekal Fort, which led to the discovery of a number of coins and other artifacts that support the fact that the Bekal fort remained under the rule of a number of Sultans of Mysore. After the death of Tippu at the Anglo-Mysore war, the Fort came under the influence of British East India Company. Nowadays, the protection and maintenance has been undertaken by the Archaeological Survey of India.