BEKAL FORT

Considered the largest as well as the best-preserved fort in Kerala, the Bekal Fort as a majestic structure lies 130 ft above the sea level. Endowed with a rich and long history, the Bekal Fort still is one of the most imposing structures of Kerala, and attracts tourists, historians and nature lovers. The historical relevance of the fort led the Archeological Survey of India to take up the responsibility to look after it and it was made a ‘Special Tourism Area’.

The Bekal Fort has a long history, which is three centuries old. It was around 1650’s that Sivappa Naik of the Ikkeri dynasty built this fort, though some historians believe that it was Kolathiri Rajas who built the fort that was later captured by Naik. Hyder Ali of Mysore also had the possession of the fort during 1763 A.D from where it passed on to the Huzur of Canara and then to the British Empire.One interesting feature of the fort is the fact that there are no palaces inside the fort walls and it is likely that the Bekal Fort was built only for defence purposes. The features of the Bekal Fort in Kerala are the underground tunnels, the observation towers, the sea bastion, the meandering entrance, the strategic openings on the walls etc. There is also a mosque built by Tipu Sultan just outside the Bekal Fort.

The Bekal Fort is located in Bekal, in the Kasargod District of Kerala. The exact location of the Bekal Fort is about 16 kms south of the Kesargod, on the national highway and at the northernmost tip of the State of Kerala.

Bekal Fort

Location:
About a kilometre from Bekal Fort, about 16 km south of Kasaragod on the national highway, Kasaragod district, north Kerala.
Kasaragod , the northernmost district of Kerala is renowned as the land of gods, forts, rivers, hills and beautiful beaches. The imposing circular fort at Bekal is one of the largest and best preserved forts in Kerala. The beautiful expanse of the shallow beach near the Bekal fort known as Bekal Fort Beach has been developed as an exotic beach location by the Bekal Resorts Development Corporation (BRDC).

Beautification:
Beautification of the site includes installation of two sculptures of Theyyam created using laterite at the beach and a shed with walls adorning murals created by artisans from Nilambur. Apart from these a rock garden at the parking area has been developed where laterite boulders of various size has been utilised. Under the social forestry scheme planting trees has been done in the beach area.

Parking facilities:
BRDC has developed about 7000 sq. m land for parking different types of vehicles.

Walk way:
A beautiful walk way for the visiting tourists to explore the beauty of the fine coastal line and enjoy the panoramic view of the Bekal Fort.

Illuminating the beach:
The beach has been illuminated during the evening hours so that tourists can more spend time at the beach even after the sunset.

Resting facilities:
A multi shed will provide the tourist enough facility to take rest and enjoy the sea breeze. By using locally available materials, seating arrangements has been provided for the tourists atthe beach.

Toilets:
Toilets have been provided for the use of tourists and ecofriendly bamboo waste bins has been provided in the entire beach site for keeping the site clean.

Childrens park:
A park has been developed here for children below 14 years. In order to maintain the developed site a nominal charge of rupee one from each visitor would be collected as entry fees and a similar nominal vehicle parking fees would be collected. BRDC also aims to develop in future another 11 acres of land at the beach for constructing water park, theme park etc. BRDC was set up by the Government of Kerala to develop Bekal as a planned ecofriendly destination. BRDC has utilised 19 acres of land for the development of the Bekal Fort Beach at a cost of approximately Rs. 25 million including land acquisition charges.

Getting there:
Nearest railway station: Kasaragod, on the Kozhikode- Mangalore- Mumbai route.
Nearest airport: Mangalore about 50 km from Kasaragod town; Karipur International Airport, Kozhikode, about 200 km from Kasaragod town.