Bekel Fort-Kasargode-Kerala

Kasaragode,the northernmost district of Kerala is renowned as the land of gods, forts, rivers, hills and beautiful beaches. The imposing fort at Bekal is one of the largest and best preserved forts in Kerala.Bekel Fort lies in Kasargode district. It is located on a lush-green stretch of 35 acres of land projecting into the sea and is the largest fort in Kerala. The Fort is almost 300 years old . The Fort has a watch tower facing the sea. Many parts of the Fort are constantly drenched by the sea waves.There are no palaces inside the fort.The features of the Bekal Fort in Kerala are the underground tunnels, the observation towers, the sea bastion, the strategic openings on the walls etc.There are several underground passages inside the fort and two of the passages are intact even now one leading to the southern part of the fort and the other leading to the east. There is also a mosque built by Tipu Sultan just outside the Bekal Fort and also a Hindu temple. There is a rest house near the Fort built by British Government before independence. Near to the fort there is a Hindu temple and a Muslim Mosque.


There exist differences of opinion about the origin of the Fort. There are two versions about the origin of the Fort – one is it was constructed by one Shivappa Naik of the Ikkeri Dynasty and the other version is was constructed by Kadamba Dynasty and later was taken over by Kolathiri Rajahs of that region and was captured by Shivappa Naik to form part of the Vijayanagar Empire. Be it either way, the Fort, which is now more than three centuries old was invaded by Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan in 18th century. Later, it was taken over by the East India Company of British.Lying on the cost of Arabian Sea, Bekal has beautiful beaches. The sea front of the fort is best viewed along the seaside pathway. So enjoy the walk along the seaside pathway with the fort wall to the east and the beautiful sea on the west.