Bekal Fort – The Largest Fort in Kerala State

By George On

Bekal Fort is the largest fort in the state of Kerala. It is spread over 40 acres on the Arabian Sea coast at Pallikere in the Kasaragod district of Kerala state, India. This fort is close to the Karnataka state border.

A stairway inside the Bekal FortA stairway inside the Bekal Fort

Ancient Bekal Fort was constructed in 1650 AD by Shivappa Nayaka alias Shivappa Nayakar. Shivappa Nayaka reigned from 1645 to 1660. He was also known as Keladi Shivappa Nayaka. He was the king of the Keladi alias Ikkeri or Keladi Nayaka Kingdom or Nayakas of Keladi. Shivappa Nayakar also built Chandragiri Fort in Kasargod, Adka Fort near Bandyodu in Kasaragod district, Arikkady Fort alias Kumbla Fort at Kumbla in Kasaragod district, and Mangalore Fort. (There is another Chandragiri Fort near Tirupathi built by the Yadava Naidu kings in the 11th century).

One distinguishing feature of BekalFort is the water tank with its flight of steps. The Arabian Sea coast can also be reached inside the fort through another stairway.

There is an observation center at a strategic point from which one can discover even the slightest enemy movements. The entrance to the fort is in a zigzag manner. The entrance and the observation center are testimony to the defense strategy adopted to protect the fort from the enemies.

The Bekal Fort was not the seat of any dynasty, unlike other Indian forts. There are no palaces or other buildings inside the fort. The Bakal fort was used only for defense requirements.

Some nearby places of tourist interest are the ancient Mosque and the Hanuman temple.

The Central Government of India declared the Bakal Fort a special tourism area in the early ’90s. “Bekal Tourism Development Corporation” and “Bekal Resorts Development Corporation”, now look after the promotion and tourism of the fort at Bekal. This fort has a special significance in the Kerala tourism map.

The ace Indian film director Mani Ratnam shot the famous Tamil movie song, starting Uyire, at Bekal Fort. This Movie, Mumbai, was considered one of the top 20 Indian films in the rankings by the British Film Institute.

How Do I Go to Bekal Fort in Kerala?

Rail and road network connects Bekal Fort in Pallikere village of Kasaragod district to other places. Nearby railway stations are Pallikere (PKP), Bekal Fort (BFR), Kanhangad (KZE), Kotikulam (KQK), and Kasargod (KGQ). The first two are the nearest ones to the fort.

The nearest towns to Pallikere are Kanhangad at eight kilometers and Kasargod at 18 kilometers, respectively. There are regular bus services from these cities to Pallikere.

Mangalore International Airport is the nearest airport, around 60 kilometers from the Bakel fort.

Are there any Good Hotels in Bekal?

Vivanta by Taj alias Taj Bekal is a good hotel in Bekal. The Lalit Resort & Spa Bekal, Hotel Bekal Palace, Nirvana at Bekal, etc., are good hotels near the Bekal fort at Pallikere.

Keladi alias Ikkeri alias Keladi Nayaka Kingdom (or Nayakas of Keladi)

Keladi alias Ikkeri or Keladi Nayaka kings resigned from 1499 (a year after Vasco da Gama landed in India) to 1763 (a year after Hyder Ali ascended to the throne and defeated them). They built the kingdom on their own.

Chauda Gowda, who reigned as Chaudappa Nayaka (1499–1530) established this kingdom. He vacated the throne to his younger brother, Chikka Venkatappa Nayaka, who reigned from 1530 to 1566. Keladi was the first capital of their kingdom, ten kilometers south of the present-day Sagara town. Hence, the kingdom was known as Keladi Kingdom. Later, they shifted their capital to Ikkeri in 1560, and it was the capital till 1640. Thus, the kingdom got the name Ikkeri Kingdom. Ikkeri is 6 km to the south of the present-day Sagara town. At last, they shifted their capital to present-day Shimoga town. Ikkeri continued to be their nominal capital.

Their kingdom flourished after the collapse of the Vijayanagara Empire. They can be termed the successors of the Vijayanagara Empire in some areas of present-day Kerala and Karnataka. They had a successful business relationship with the Dutch, Portuguese and the British.

Shankanna Nayaka (1566-1570), Chippa Shankanna Nayaka (1570-1580), Rama Raja Nayaka (1580-1586), Hiriya Venkatappa Nayaka (1586-1629), Veera Bhadra Nayaka (1629-1645) were the other Keladi alias Ikkeri or Keladi Nayaka kings.